A press release from the Texas Department of Public Safety reports, “during the three-month period from December 2015 through February 2016, DPS has received approximately 136,000 LTC application submissions compared to approximately 57,000 over the same time period the year prior –representing a 139 percent increase.”

But this latest surge in applications will earn the state another impressive number: more than one million Texans will possess a License to Carry.

While some speculate the cause of the spike being the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, CA in December, the bottom line is: Texans are arming themselves.

“Then you have the new law that went into effect January the first (Open Carry)… all of that plays into it, and that’s why we’re seeing numbers,” CHL Licensed Instructor Michael Cargill told KRLD.

DPS has “increased staffing strength (hiring additional personnel and initiating an overtime project involving multiple shifts, seven days a week) and resources” to deal with the influx of applications. Additionally, the agency urges applicants to ” follow LTC application guidelines and to ensure they submit a fully-completed application” to avoid any hiccups or re-working for staff scrambling to process the requests in a timely manner.

“To ensure the license is issued promptly, it is very important to provide the requested information for review,” the agency said.