Ohio has granted a record number of permits to carry concealed weapons since Barack Obama became president, says state Attorney General Mike DeWine. “There’s the perception out there that gun control might be inevitable under the Obama administration,” Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, told the Columbus Dispatch. “So when there’s a potential to lose your right to own a gun or it might be harder to get a permit, that might drive more people to go out and get them.”
Ohio’s gun permits continue to increase based on a “fear campaign” related to Obama’s record, said Toby Hoover of the Toledo-based Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. The 47,337 concealed-carry permits issued in Ohio last year were the second most since the state began issuing licenses in 2004, when 45,497 were handed out. An Ohio-record 56,691 new licenses were issued in 2009, when Obama took office. Obama, as the leader of the Democratic Party, which is traditionally linked to gun-control supporters, has yet to attempt to limit gun ownership while president. He said during his presidential campaign that he “respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms,” but pro-gun lobbyists fear that his past foreshadows gun limits his administration will pursue.