Drizzt
Member
We go armed
By Allison Pollan
The Facts
Published January 04, 2003
Like many women during the holidays, Sandra Kozak received jewelry from her husband. He also gave her a semiautomatic Bersa Thunder .380 pistol.
Kozak, 24, said her husband gave her the gun so she could protect herself against intruders. She is often at their Freeport home alone with their two young children during his extended shifts at work.
“I’m having to stay at home with two babies,†Kozak said. “It’s just for my safety because there was a break-in next door to where we live.â€
Kozak, who never had shot a gun until a private lesson Friday, plans to apply for a concealed handgun license, and next week she plans to take the required class to obtain it.
If her license is approved by the state, Kozak will join the ranks of Brazoria County’s more than 4,100 concealed handgun license owners.
Currently, there are more than 222,800 concealed handgun licenses active in the state, 4,174 of which are in Brazoria County, according to Department of Public Safety records.
Brazoria County is among Texas counties with the most licensed gun holders per capita.
Slightly more than one in every 100 adults in Texas can legally carry a pistol. In Brazoria, Galveston and Montgomery counties that ratio is three in every 100 adults.
According to December DPS statistics, cities having the most active concealed handgun licenses include Alvin, with 815 licenses; Pearland, with 1,215; the Lake Jackson area, with almost 600 and the Angleton area with about 420. The Freeport area, which includes the cities of Jones Creek, Oyster Creek, Surfside Beach and Quintana, had almost 600 permits, state records indicate.
The Brazoria area had 253 active licenses, the Sweeny area had 121, the Danbury area had 52, the Manvel area had 140, the Rosharon area had 143 and the Clute and Richwood area had about 170.
To obtain a concealed handgun license, Texas residents must pay a $140 fee, provide identification and fingerprints and take a handgun course.
Anyone with a felony conviction, certain misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal charges, drug or alcohol dependency or certain psychological diagnoses can not get a license. Also, people with defaults on taxes, governmental fees, student loans or child support are not eligible for a concealed handgun license.
Area law enforcement officers said while the numbers may be high, they have not encountered problems because of people carrying concealed handguns.
“The licensed handgun owner ... has not created a problem, to the best of my knowledge, in Brazoria County so far,†said Charles Wagner, chief deputy for the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department.
Wagner attributed the high number of licensed handgun owners to the county’s rural nature.
“You have the people that are out in the countryside, out where the roads are a little more lonely,†Wagner said. “They might feel they want the gun along for protection.â€
Wagner said the county’s significant number of outdoor sportsmen also might be a cause for some concealed handgun licenses.
“They’ve got licenses so they don’t have to worry about carrying the gun back and forth to the range,†he said.
Alvin Police Chief Mike Merkel agreed sports enthusiasts and people seeking protection were the key component for the county’s high number of licenses.
“I think one of America’s No. 1 fears is the fear of being victimized,†Merkel said. “We spend a lot of money buying security-related items or equipment ... and there are many of us that have never been victimized, but it’s a preventative kind of measure we use to feel good about minimizing the risk, should there be a risk.â€
Merkel said Alvin’s high number of licenses also might be because Alvin Community College teaches handgun licensing classes.
Gary Broadus, who teaches one-day handgun license courses in Clute, said more than 3,000 people have taken his courses since 1996.
“The main reason I’ve seen people get the license is the right to go ahead and carry the gun in the car while traveling,†Broadus said.
Broadus said the majority of people who take the class are men aged 35 to 40, but women are increasingly becoming licensed.
After Sandra Kozak fired her first rounds into the target, each bullet hitting within the target’s chest area, she said she was glad for the experience.
“I was nervous,†Koza said. “It gave me a little rush.â€
http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?wcd=6414
By Allison Pollan
The Facts
Published January 04, 2003
Like many women during the holidays, Sandra Kozak received jewelry from her husband. He also gave her a semiautomatic Bersa Thunder .380 pistol.
Kozak, 24, said her husband gave her the gun so she could protect herself against intruders. She is often at their Freeport home alone with their two young children during his extended shifts at work.
“I’m having to stay at home with two babies,†Kozak said. “It’s just for my safety because there was a break-in next door to where we live.â€
Kozak, who never had shot a gun until a private lesson Friday, plans to apply for a concealed handgun license, and next week she plans to take the required class to obtain it.
If her license is approved by the state, Kozak will join the ranks of Brazoria County’s more than 4,100 concealed handgun license owners.
Currently, there are more than 222,800 concealed handgun licenses active in the state, 4,174 of which are in Brazoria County, according to Department of Public Safety records.
Brazoria County is among Texas counties with the most licensed gun holders per capita.
Slightly more than one in every 100 adults in Texas can legally carry a pistol. In Brazoria, Galveston and Montgomery counties that ratio is three in every 100 adults.
According to December DPS statistics, cities having the most active concealed handgun licenses include Alvin, with 815 licenses; Pearland, with 1,215; the Lake Jackson area, with almost 600 and the Angleton area with about 420. The Freeport area, which includes the cities of Jones Creek, Oyster Creek, Surfside Beach and Quintana, had almost 600 permits, state records indicate.
The Brazoria area had 253 active licenses, the Sweeny area had 121, the Danbury area had 52, the Manvel area had 140, the Rosharon area had 143 and the Clute and Richwood area had about 170.
To obtain a concealed handgun license, Texas residents must pay a $140 fee, provide identification and fingerprints and take a handgun course.
Anyone with a felony conviction, certain misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal charges, drug or alcohol dependency or certain psychological diagnoses can not get a license. Also, people with defaults on taxes, governmental fees, student loans or child support are not eligible for a concealed handgun license.
Area law enforcement officers said while the numbers may be high, they have not encountered problems because of people carrying concealed handguns.
“The licensed handgun owner ... has not created a problem, to the best of my knowledge, in Brazoria County so far,†said Charles Wagner, chief deputy for the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department.
Wagner attributed the high number of licensed handgun owners to the county’s rural nature.
“You have the people that are out in the countryside, out where the roads are a little more lonely,†Wagner said. “They might feel they want the gun along for protection.â€
Wagner said the county’s significant number of outdoor sportsmen also might be a cause for some concealed handgun licenses.
“They’ve got licenses so they don’t have to worry about carrying the gun back and forth to the range,†he said.
Alvin Police Chief Mike Merkel agreed sports enthusiasts and people seeking protection were the key component for the county’s high number of licenses.
“I think one of America’s No. 1 fears is the fear of being victimized,†Merkel said. “We spend a lot of money buying security-related items or equipment ... and there are many of us that have never been victimized, but it’s a preventative kind of measure we use to feel good about minimizing the risk, should there be a risk.â€
Merkel said Alvin’s high number of licenses also might be because Alvin Community College teaches handgun licensing classes.
Gary Broadus, who teaches one-day handgun license courses in Clute, said more than 3,000 people have taken his courses since 1996.
“The main reason I’ve seen people get the license is the right to go ahead and carry the gun in the car while traveling,†Broadus said.
Broadus said the majority of people who take the class are men aged 35 to 40, but women are increasingly becoming licensed.
After Sandra Kozak fired her first rounds into the target, each bullet hitting within the target’s chest area, she said she was glad for the experience.
“I was nervous,†Koza said. “It gave me a little rush.â€
http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?wcd=6414
