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As a first-generation American, Manuel Gomez is "thankful" for his Second Amendment right to bear arms.

At 25 years old, Gomez lives in York City and has carried a handgun since he got a license to carry a firearm when he turned 21.

His parents are originally from the Dominican Republic, and Gomez said he appreciates his right as an American to own a firearm and protect himself.

"Living in this city, crime is rising," Gomez said. "We've got to be prepared."

Gomez is one of about 20,000 York County residents who have a license to carry a concealed weapon.

And like many of those gun owners, Gomez said he's concerned that President Barack Obama's administration might try to restrict the rights of Americans to bear arms.

"At the end of the day, do I think it would be wise?" Gomez said. "I don't think so.

They should use the laws that are in effect."

But the concern about new gun laws under Obama's administration contributed to the spike in the number of York County residents who have obtained a license to carry a concealed weapon this year.

After Obama was elected last November, Sheriff's Deputy Wayne Boyce said, the number of people seeking a license was much higher than he anticipated. However, he said that now the Obama effect has tapered off as the first anniversary of his election approaches.

"We're seeing it level off," York County Sheriff Rich Keuerleber said.

The trends: Boyce said the number of people seeking a license to carry a

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handgun in York County has been fairly predictable since Congress passed the Brady Bill in the 1990s.

The Brady Bill required gun buyers to wait several days for a background check to be conducted before they could buy a handgun.

But before the law took effect, Boyce said, there was a rush of people into the sheriff's office seeking a permit.

Every five years, those gun owners must renew their license to carry. As a result, the number of people seeking a license spikes every five years.

The most recent spike that was residual from the Brady Bill came in 2007, when 7,908 people got licenses in York County. That number is about on par with the 8,338 people who registered in 2002.

But during each year between 2002 and 2007, only about 3,500 to about 4,400 people applied for a license and received one.

The spike: The cyclical drop in the number of license applicants led Boyce to expect there would be only about 3,750 people seeking a license to carry this year. That number was based on the 3,743 people who got a license in 2004.

But halfway through 2009, sheriff's office had already issued that many permits, Boyce said. He now expects about 5,000 permits to be issued this year.

About 4,300 permits were issued through the month of August, according to the sheriff's office statistics.

"We were busy at the beginning of the year," Boyce said, but now "the rush is over."

-- Reach Brock Parker at 505-5434 or bparker@yorkdis patch.com.
Permits
The number of permits issued in York County in 2009:
--- January: 695

--- February: 698

--- March: 625

--- April: 550

--- May: 421

--- June: 416

--- July: 439

--- August: 433

Through August: 4,277

Source: York County Sheriff's Office.