The sheriffs of Laclede, St. Clair and Vernon counties in Missouri announced this week that they would lower the cost of applications for concealed carry permits, according to Springfield, Missouri, television station KY3.
Wayne Merritt, the sheriff of Laclede County, told KY3 that in light of the shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, California, he wants to encourage Americans to defend themselves.
“The government has already said they can’t keep track of all these home-grown terrorists, so we can’t be everywhere at the same time, so people have to be able to defend themselves,” Merritt said. “Paris, as you know, has one of the strictest gun laws in the world — people can’t just go out and buy a gun like they can in the United States.”
Merritt will lower the cost of a concealed carry permit application from $100 to $65.
Jody Jamieson, an employee at the Friendly Firearms gun shop in Lebanon, Missouri, told KY3 that he’s seen a lot of people come in recently to purchase a handgun and inquire about concealed carry permits.
“I know word has gotten out pretty quick,” he said.