Is your neighbor, friend, even your co-worker carrying a concealed                             weapon?

Possibly.

Since 2005, almost                                 1,400 people have                                applied for a concealed                             weapons permit in                                    Putnam County,                                   records show. Of those who applied, 1,365, or 96.6 percent, were approved. (Please see list below this story.)

According to records provided by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, 1,194 people  applied for a concealed weapons permit between January 1st, 2005 and December 31st, 2007.  An additional 199 applied from January 1st through April 24th.

Of those who applied in 2008, 16 were still pending approval or denial.

Since 2005, the number of applicants increased starting at 305 to 389 in 2006, and spiking to 500 last year.  This year alone, the PCSD has received 199 permit applications.

Though the number of applications has risen over the last four years, the number of people being denied a permit has remained constant.  According to the Sheriff's Department, only two to three people, including thus far into 2008, have been denied permit annually.

Those who were denied a permit are as follows:

• 2005: Jason Scott Kinser of Liberty and Phyllis Ann McGowan of Hurricane.
   

• 2006: Donald Joseph Slater of Fraziers Bottom, and Nathan Paul Richardson and Martin Victor Prieser both of Scott Depot.
   

• 2007: Charles Daniel Simms of Nitro and Charles Franklin Goodall and John Walter Davis both of Hurricane.
             

• 2008: John Edward Hull of Culloden, and Stephen Jeffrey Bailey and Frankie Lee Thomas both of Scott Depot.

Records show that in 2006, a refund was given to Mark Allen Hunter of Cross Lanes.

Among the notable names of permit holders are the past and current mayors of Hurricane, Raymond Peak and Scott Edwards.  Both men applied for and were approved a permit in 2005, and 2007, respectively.

Strangely, on his permit, Edwards lists his address as Teays Valley, not Hurricane.  Records show his permit was approved on September 20th, 2007, shortly after he was seated as the town's mayor.

Below is a list of all people licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Putnam County, and the year their permit was issued.  All permits are good for five years:

Permits approved in 2008:

BOOTH, STANLEY WARREN	HURRICANE
ANTHONY, ROBERT KEITH	ELEANOR
ANTHONY, JUDITH ELAINE	ELEANOR
RIGNEY, MONTIE R	HURRICANE
KNAPP, BARBARA JEAN	HURRICANE
KNAPP, GARY EUGENE	HURRICANE
BAILEY, SHERRA MARY	LEON
DOLIN, PAUL ARDEN JR	POCA
BARKER, JO ANN	WINFIELD
BARKER, DOUGLAS ARTHUR	WINFIELD
ELLIOTT, RONALD RAY	BUFFALO
MITCHELL, JOHN SCOTT	POCA
ASHWORTH, SHERMAN ELWOOD	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
JOHNSON, JEROME WAYDE	ELEANOR
WINTERS, RICHARD DALE	LEON
PAYNE, ROLAND ALLEN	LIBERTY
ATKINSON, JAMES WILLIAM	WINFIELD
ELLIOTT, ZANE RAY	BUFFALO
PETTEY, RONALD ALLEN	HURRICANE
ROGAN, THOMAS SCOTT	HURRICANE
MOORE, FRED THORNTON	HURRICANE
GRALEY, GREGORY ALAN	LIBERTY
DURHAM, RANDAL JASON	HURRICANE
MILLER, TIMOTHY DAVID	BUFFALO
MOODY, BRYAN KEITH	CULLODEN
ANDERSON, DONNIE DALE	NITRO
SISK, FREDDY RAY	POCA
COBB, JEREMY WAYNE	ELEANOR
BERNARD, JOSEPH WILLIAM	HURRICANE
ROBERTS, RICHARD DAYTON	ELEANOR
YOUNG, DAVID ALLEN	SCOTT DEPOT
BRAND, CAROL J	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
RUCKER, JAMES WAYNE	POCA
DAVIS, JACK LEE	RED HOUSE
DAVIS, REGINA ANN	RED HOUSE
CARPENTER, DAVID L	HURRICANE
SUTPHIN, EDDIE ELDON	WINFIELD
SOWARDS, RONNIE LEE	HURRICANE
HUN, NICHOLAS JOHN	HURRICANE
WHITE, ANTHONY RAY	HURRICANE
O'DELL RUDY EUGENE	HURRICANE
WILSON, HOPE DANIELLE	RED HOUSE
WILSON, EUGENE TILMAN III	RED HOUSE
BOWMAN, EDWIN HERBERT	SCOTT DEPOT
MEADOWS, DANNY LEE	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
HAYDEN, LARRY ALLEN	BUFFALO
FABER, ROBERT TIMOTHY	WINFIELD
PERSINGER, RYAN MICHAEL	NITRO
PERSINGER, MICHAEL LEE	POCA
SULLIVAN, WARREN E	ELEANOR
WINTERS, WILLIAM DOUGLAS	POCA
HIGGINBOTHAM, GARY LEE SR	BUFFALO
HIGGINBOTHAM, MARIWANA JOELLEN	BUFFALO
WILSON, EUGENE TELMAN JR	WINFIELD
HAGER, WANDELL RYAN	SCOTT DEPOT
WATSON, KEVIN RAY	WINFIELD
SCOTT, JOHN KEITH JR	SCOTT DEPOT
ROBERTS, MICHAEL SCOTT	ST. ALBANS
THOMAS, WAYLON WILLIAM	SCOTT DEPOT
CARPENTER, ANDREW JOE	HURRICANE
WALLER, JERRY RAY	HURRICANE
OXLEY, RODNEY DALE	HURRICANE
SMITH, JANICE LOU	HURRICANE
WHITTINGTON, EDWARD LEE	SCOTT DEPOT
LUCK, GERALD ALFRED	SCOTT DEPOT
WHITLEY, GILBERT LEE II	HURRICANE
JOHNSON, PAUL ALLEN	HURRICANE
CLARKSON, ERIC LYNN	HURRICANE
LEGG, MICHAEL TODD	WINFIELD
JACKSON, PAUL EDWARD JR	BUFFALO
LETT, JOHN FRANKLIN	HOMETOWN
CARTER, EDWIN DALE	WINFIELD
MARCUM, STEPHEN REED	NITRO
PRETTYMAN, JAMES TODD	WINFIELD
NUNLEY, DENNIS EARL	SCOTT DEPOT
WHITLEY, MARIA GUSUEPPA	HURRICANE
HARPER, JOSHUA WAYNE	POCA
HANSON, CHARLES WENDELL SR	WINFIELD
GARNES, JARED KEITH	LIBERTY
LEMASTER, MICHAEL ALLEN	CULLODEN
MCCLUNG, DAVID WAYNE	POCA
PAINTER, KATHY SUE	RED HOUSE
HICKMAN, THOMAS FITZGERALD	RED HOUSE
CRAVEN, STANLEY JEFF JR	WINFIELD
CRAVEN, CINDY LYNN	WINFIELD
WHITT, JANICE LAURA	WINFIELD
WHITT, MARK RUDOLPH	WINFIELD
KOVACKI, ARNOLD JASON	RED HOUSE
GLENN, JESSICA LYNN	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
LANDERS, ELTON RAY	BANCROFT
NEAL, ALEXANDER BALKE	HURRICANE
ELKINS, LESTER L	BUFFALO
KINCAID, PHILIP DEAN	HURRICANE
SIZEMORE, ROY KENNETH	HURRICANE
SIZEMORE, PATRICIA LOU	HURRICANE
LUIKART, CARLOS LEE	BANCROFT
MOORE, HERMIE GINGER	SCOTT DEPOT
SEXTON, BILLY JACK	CHARLESTON
MINNER, ZREGORY SAMUEL	HURRICANE
BARR, ROBBIN CHRISTINE	NITRO
HARRISON ROBERT E LEE	NITRO
COWAN, ALLEN THOMAS II	SCOTT DEPOT
WHITED, MICHAEL HERBERT	HURRICANE
LINDSEY, CARL BRADFORD	HURRICANE
BALSER, DAVID ERIC	HURRICANE
GIVEN, JEFFREY BRYAN	HURRICANE
THACKER, HOWARD KEITH	SCOTT DEPOT
GRALEY, LEANNA VONNETTE	LIBERTY
HOFFMAN, LOUIS HUNTER	POCA
LEWIS, LESLIE WAYNE	HURRICANE
SAUNDERS, KENNETH WALTER	POCA
ALEXANDER, WILLIAM NATHAN	HURRICANE
STALNAKER, LINDA JOANN	HURRICANE
GILMORE, DANNY GENE	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
BURGESS, LONNIE RICHARD	HOMETOWN
DUNLAP, JOSHUA BRENT	HURRICANE
GILLISPIE, KENNETH JAMES	FRAZIERS BOTTOM
JOHNSON, CRYSTAL HARDY	WINFIELD
ROBERTS, BENJAMIN DALE	ST. ALBANS
BISSETT, DAVID LAWRENCE	HURRICANE
MOORE, JEFFREY EUGENE	NITRO
SOWARDS, FRED DAVID	CULLODEN
CROSS, PAUL EDWARD	HURRICANE
CROSS, SHERRI LYNN	HURRICANE
MAY, DIANA JEAN	HURRICANE
MESSER, JUDY CAROL	POCA
GATENS, WILLIAM PATRICK	BANCROFT
SCHILLING, CHRISTOPHER SCOTT	SCOTT DEPOT
ROBERTS, FREEMAN F	ST. ALBANS
WHITE, RAYMOND DOUGLAS	POCA
DILLON, JAMES D	WINFIELD
DUNCAN, DENNIS NATHAN	SCOTT DEPOT
ARBAUGH, HAROLD RAY	HURRICANE
WHITTINGTON, RICHARD CAROL	BUFFALO
WHITTINGTON, STEVEN RYAN	BUFFALO
ADAMS, JONATHAN MICHAEL	SCOTT DEPOT
BUTLER, TONEY ALLEN	SCOTT DEPOT
KOSA, PAUL KEVIN	ELEANOR
MCGREW, ADAM SHANE	NITRO
THOMAS, TIMOTHY RAY	SCOTT DEPOT
ARTHUR, DORREL WAYNE	HURRICANE
SOWARDS, GERAMY LEE	BUFFALO
TAYLOR, CHARLES ROY	HURRICANE
CHITTUM, THOMAS LILE JR	HURRICANE
ALLEN, WESLEY RICHARD	HURRICANE
MARCIANO, GABRIEL EUGENE	HURRICANE
IMES, FRANK BRADLEY	WINFIELD
RILEY, MICHAEL ALLEN	PLINY
LEMASTER, JESSE WILLARD JR	POCA
BREHARD, DENVER JAMES	HURRICANE
MCCUTCHEON, MICHAEL JOHN	WINFIELD
FIELDS, DAVID RAY	POCA
TUCKER, PAMELA RENA	LEON
TUCKER, FRANKLIN LEE	LEON
CUNNINGHAM, JACQUELINE JAE	POCA
CUNNINGHAM, DANIEL WAYNE	POCA
SHEETS, ALDEN MASON	SCOTT DEPOT
THOMPSON, ZACHARY JOSEPH	HURRICANE
SUTHERLAND, TONY	SCOTT DEPOT
MUSICK, COY DERAY	NITRO
ALLEN, STEVE BRADLEY	WINFIELD
DARBY, DAVID CHRISTIAN	ELEANOR
FERGUSON, LENA LOUISE JOHNSON	HURRICANE
SWISHER, CHARLES RICHARD	HURRICANE
BAYS, DIANA CHRISTINE	WINFIELD
MCCORMICK, CHARLES MICHAEL	ST. ALBANS
WRIGHT, CAROLYN HARMON	HURRICANE
BERRY, GARY LEE	HURRICANE
GARREN, MARK LEWIS	HURRICANE
KIRBY, JAMES THOMAS	HURRICANE
MEANS, DOYLE RAY	HURRICANE
HOLSTEIN, GARY WAYNE	BANCROFT
SHAMBLIN, MARK DEWAYNE	RED HOUSE
BAILEY, GREGORY DALE	SCOTT DEPOT
HAMMICKS, DELMAR RAY