http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/current/news/stories/guns.html (Einblicke ins Internet, 10/1995)
HOUSTON (Reuter) - A so-called Wild West law has gone into effect in Texas as officials began sending out applications for permits to carry concealed guns.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Sherri Green said an estimated 35,000 people have already requested permit applications. Those who get permits can start carrying their weapons Jan. 1, 1996.
Many fear the controversial law, which has been criticized as a throwback to gun-filled days of the Wild West, will add to violence on Texas streets. It was passed last spring by the Texas legislature under pressure from gun advocates.
Since then, the DPS has received a steady stream of requests for applications.
The law limits where concealed weapons may be carried and bars permits for people with criminal records or psychological problems. It also requires 15 hours of instruction in how to handle a gun.
A recent newspaper poll showed that 25 percent of the state's nearly 18 million residents intended to seek a permit, but law enforcement officials believe the final number will be far lower based on the experience of other states where concealed weapons are allowed.
``Once people see what's involved and what they have to do to qualify, that will lower the number,'' Green said. ``Other states have ended up with 1 to 2 percent of the population being licensed, which would be 180,000 to 360,000 people.''
In Florida, which has given out concealed weapons permits since 1987, about 2 percent of the population, or 161,000 people, have the licenses, state officials said.