Texas Demand for Concealed Handgun Permits Up

The Dallas Morning News has the article here:

Texans' demand for concealed handgun licenses rises
09:31 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 8, 2008
By DANIEL MONTEVERDE / The Dallas Morning News
Mrs. Denman is one of more than 52,000 people in the state who have submitted an application for a first-time concealed handgun license or renewal since the beginning of the year, according to figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety. That is an almost 5 percent increase over the first six months of 2007.

The crunch – which some say is spurred by concerns about rising crime, the state's new castle law and uncertainty about future gun laws – has created a ballooning backlog of applications for the department and angered gun proponents. . . .

On average, new applicants are waiting between 80 and 90 days for their licenses; renewals are taking about 70 to 80 days to process, said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman.

By law, new applications should take no more than 60 days and renewals 45 days to process unless a required background check raises any flags. . . .