Handgun registrations that are required in Clark County have been on the rise since 2009, Metro Police data shows. That's also true of concealed carry weapons permits.
The latest statistics show that Metro has more than 1,213,000 handgun registrations on file, though that number may include duplicate registrations for the same firearm. That's because Metro says it doesn't have the technology to track whether a firearm was re-registered or sold to another individual.
But the latest Metro data available shows that there were 13,521 new handgun registrations in April through June 2012, 5.8 percent more than the 12,785 registrations logged in the same quarter in 2011. The January-March quarter, though, has been the busiest for registrations, with 16,036 recorded in the first quarter of 2012, 3.7 percent more than the same time frame a year earlier.
County ordinances require registration only of pistols capable of being concealed that can be aimed and fired with one hand. Residents must register such firearms within 72 hours of taking possession of those weapons. Excluded from the ordinances are rifles and shotguns.
Metro also issued 35,406 concealed carry weapons permits from July 2008 through Jan. 30 this year, and had 37,126 active permits on file as of Jan. 3. These permits are good for five years.
The number of permit requests received by Metro increased every year from fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2012. The 8,675 permits issued by the agency in fiscal 2012, which ended last June 30, was 11.3 percent more than in fiscal 2011 and 20.9 percent more than in fiscal 2010.
