This is from the Oklahoman and the only place I could find information. I believe it was published in Jan. 2007. Some of it will not make your day. My Baptist Minister has a completely different attitude then the one in the article.
Ron
By Ken Raymond
Staff Writer Oklahoman
She just wants to carry a gun.
"One of my new resolutions is to follow up on getting a conceal-carry permit,” said Corbett, 52, of Oklahoma City. "I've been thinking about it for years. I always thought it was kind of a good thing to do, kind of a responsible thing.”
So before long, she plans to take a Self-Defense Act class, fill out her paperwork and apply for state permission to carry a concealed firearm — joining thousands of other Oklahomans who already are licensed to pack heat.
As a white woman in her age range, she should fit right in. During the past five years, 54,705 conceal-carry permits have been issued, according to data released by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Of those, 40,538 were issued to white men, while white women received 10,484 permits.
The remaining 3,683 were split mainly between Asian, black, Hispanic and American Indian people of both genders. A small number of people listed their race as "unknown.”
The racial makeup is not unexpected, said David Hemenway of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.
Studies of other areas in the country have shown white people are far more likely to get permits than those of other races.
"It's mostly whites. It's mostly males. It's mostly people with above average incomes and people who live in suburban areas. They're the ones who already have the guns. They're the ones who have the money,” said Hemenway, author of "Private Guns, Public Health.”
In all, more than 113,000 conceal-carry permits have been issued in Oklahoma since the Self-Defense Act took effect in 1996, said Dave Page, director of information services for OSBI.
The agency doesn't keep statistics on permit renewals, so it's not known how many of those were issued to repeat customers.
William is one of those. The 52-year-old Moore man, who did not want his last name published in the paper, is on his second conceal-carry permit.
He said he carries his Kahr .45-caliber semi-automatic most of the time, leaving it at home only when he goes to work or to places where guns are prohibited, such as state buildings or restaurants that sell alcohol.
"It's second nature for me,” William said. "When I first started carrying it regular, I got uncomfortable not having it with me. You get used to it.”
Phil Ratliff, 66, of Norman has never gotten used to the idea of his fellow Oklahomans walking around armed.
"Every statistic shows that people who carry guns end up shooting someone else, usually not the person they were aiming for,” Ratliff said. "I just don't want us to get to a place where we're ... driving along the roadside in pickup trucks with guns. ... It scares me when I see some of the road rage just driving through Oklahoma City.”
At the very least, he said, only those whose lives are in certain danger should be allowed to carry guns.
"I'm a Southern Baptist minister,” he said. "I've been one for 45 years and am very conservative, according to the scriptures. But I guess the NRA (National Rifle Association) would probably call me a liberal.”
Sally Eastridge never has felt threatened — but she wants to be ready if she ever is in danger.
"I'm just a believer in having a gun to protect yourself,” said Eastridge, 30, of Oklahoma City. "I don't think I would be the type to carry it around with me everywhere I went. I'd probably keep it in the house or the car.
"I just think it's important that I have this permit to show I know how to use a gun and am qualified to use it.”
She already has attended an all-day class on gun safety and the Self-Defense Act, fulfilling one of the requirements for getting a permit.
Like Corbett, she wants to get licensed this year.
"The state of our world is becoming more and more disturbing,” Corbett said. "We have illegal aliens who are coming, and ... if someone is willing to steal citizenship, it makes you wonder how much more they'd be willing to take from you.”
Could she shoot someone if she had to?
"I think if it was them or me,” she said, "I could.”