With all of the barriers that anti-gun jurisdictions put in the way of residents trying to exercise their constitutional rights, it's nice to see some sheriffs out there going above and beyond to make sure that getting a concealed carry license is as easy as possible.
Crawford County Sheriff Dave Powers is one of those licensing authorities. Yes, residents can make the drive to the county seat of Meadville and apply for their carry permit at the sheriff's office, but Powers is also hitting the road with all the equipment needed to process applications and allowing residents to apply closer to home.
Last weekend, for example, the sheriff's office was at an event run by a local non-profit, and helped more than two dozen residents get the paperwork required in Pennsylvania to lawfully carry concealed.
The county granted over 30 License to Carry (LTC) permits, and Commissioner Chairman Eric Henry — who attended the event — said it was a hit.
“They were over the hill ecstatic,” Henry said. “That’s 30 miles away, but those folks are still our constituents and we need not forget about them.”
He applauded Sheriff Dave Powers for his work. Powers told The Meadville Tribune that when he first took office, the previous sheriff, Nick Hoke, had mentioned that he wanted to figure out a way to have a mobile LTC option in the county.
So, early in his first term, Powers sold some abandoned firearms through sealed bid to Crawford County licensed gun dealers and used the profits to purchase a laptop, camera, signature pad and custom tent for mobile LTC permitting.
Powers says he originally wanted to bring the mobile CCW processing unit to local fairs around the county, but the department couldn't afford to pay the vendor fees, which is ridiculous to me. First off, how many fairs are there in Crawford County? And you're telling me that the organizers of these fairs wouldn't cut the sheriff's department a break on the fees to set up a small tent and offer up a public service? Frankly, I think Powers needs to name and shame those fair organizers who put a stop to his plans.
The sheriff, though, found much more willing partners in the various volunteer fire departments around the county. As he told the Meadville Tribune, the departments "loved having us at their gun raffle fundraisers, and people that attended loved it as well.”
Powers said that the department does not promote the LTC mobile presence, so he said Mayor Amanda Slaney “must have done an awesome job getting the word out” because they had a record number of applicants. They even had some Amish community members apply.
Why not promote these events ahead of time? I mean, it's great that 30 people decided on the spur of the moment to take advantage of the opportunity to get their license to carry, but I'm guessing even more folks would have shown up if they'd known that activity was going to be available... and those folks may also have ended up spending money or donating funds to the non-profit as well. I'd say that getting the word out about these mobile events would be good for all parties involved, and I hope that Powers and his office will be more proactive about alerting the public to upcoming road trips.
Powers, by the way, isn't the only Pennsylvania sheriff to do something like this. Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus has scheduled one satellite event each month to allow residents in various parts of the county to apply for their LTC without having to drive into downtown Pittsburgh to fill out their application. Both of these sheriffs, and any others I'm not aware of who are taking similar steps, should be commended for being proactive in easing the permitting process, and I hope we see a lot more of this in the future.
Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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