JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – Gun sales in Missouri are seeing a spike while the number of permit applications fall, thanks to a new law that no longer requires residents to have a permit when carrying a concealed firearm.
The Joplin Globe reports that the number of permit applications in Jasper County has dropped a total of 94 percent after the Legislature moved to get rid of the concealed-carry permit requirement in May. Permits are still available to gun owners wanting to travel to other states with different rules or those who want gun safety education.
But according to FBI statistics, the agency conducted 8 percent more background checks on would-be gun owners last year than in 2015, a record high in Missouri.
Liberty Tree gun shop owner Eli Bruton says sales were strong this holiday season.
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