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compete at
Grapeview bond now passing
Mason County
Feb. 21, 2013 - Week 8 - The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- $1
Sheriff's Office staff 'swamped'
with extra workload, paperwork
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncounty.com
While the national debate over gun con-
trol has escalated in recent months, the
Mason County Sheriffs Office has experi-
enced a jump in renewals and applications
for concealed pistol licenses.
In November 2011, the Sheriffs Office
processed 133 new or renewed concealed
pistol licenses, the same as in November
2012.
In December 2011, the office processed
123 requests, but in 2012, as the gun con-
trol debate heated up, 228 new or renewed
permits were issued.
That trend stayed steady in January
2013 when 248 people got new or renewed
permits compared to 144 in January 2012.
Detective William Adam said Sheriffs
Office staff has noticed the increased work-
load.
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"They are swamped," he said. They're
trying to do their regular work on top of ev-
erything else."
The county has also experienced a jump
in gun transfers, also called purchases. Ma-
son County residents bought 137 guns in
November and 309 in December, Adam said.
"It takes pretty much all of my time,"
said Toni Monnier, who is in charge of con-
ducting background checks on applicants
for concealed pistol licenses and for gun
transfers.
While Adam said in his 34-year career
in law enforcement he can remember in-
stances in which tragedies inspired jumps
in gun sales and concealed pistol licenses,
such as after Sept. 11, 2001, this increase
seems to be related to national debates over
gun control.
Before a person decides to get a con-
cealed pistol license, Adam said they should
practice often.
"(I would tell them) not to get one un-
less they first of all will take the time to
practice regularly with it and secondly to
... have the decision that if somebody was
threatening the life of themselves or one of
their loved ones, that they would use it to
stop the attack," he said.
He said about as many women as men
have applied for new and renewed licenses.
While the application for a concealed
pistol license includes a background check,
fingerprinting and personal information, a
person does not need to prove proficiency
with a gun before obtaining the licence.
A person needs to be at least 21 years
old and be a United States citizen to get the
license.
Applicants can't have any outstanding
warrants for any charge, have no court
order against possessing a firearm, never
have been deemed incompetent to
manage their affairs, have no felony convic-
tions, have not been convicted of three or
more firearm law violations, have not been
dishonorably discharged from the armed
forces, or have convictions for certain
crimes against family members.
Applications can be picked up at the
Sheriffs Office. New licenses cost $52.50,
renewals cost $32, late renewals cost $42
and replacement licenses cost $10. The ap-
plication process takes about 30 days.
Allyn blaze causes damage
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Journal phoio by Gordon Weeks
Crews from six fire districts responded to a fire that erupted in a garage and
caused an estimated $150,000 in damages to a waterfront house in Allyn on Feb.
18. For the story, see page A-17.
City puts
halt on
bikini
baristas
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty.com
If you want your dou-
ble espresso served by
a bikini-clad woman in
Shelton, you might be out
of luck, even before you
had the opportunity.
The Shelton City Com-
mission on Tuesday night
voted unanimously to
place a moratorium on
the establishment of new
"adult-oriented" busi-
nesses, including espresso
stands commonly referred
to as "bikini baristas."
The moratorium, which
went into effect imme-
diately, was established
despite Shelton not hav-
ing any bikini b'arista
businesses, or having an
entrepreneur file to estab-
lish such a business.
But caffeine fans who
still hope to mix their
morning coffee stop with
physical comeliness don't
need to fret. You will have
the opportunity to speak
about whether the mora-
torium should become
permanent at a public
hearing scheduled for 6
p.m. March 19.
The moratorium,
which was put together
by city staff Tuesday, was
spurred by the owner of
two bikini barista busi-
nesses expressing an in-
terest in opening such an
establishment at the in-
tersection of Fifth Street
and Railroad Avenue,
said City Administrator
Dave O'Leary.
"They are sexually ori-
ented espresso stands,"
O'Leary said,
City officials realized
the city municipal codes
governing "adult sexually
oriented businesses" have
not been updated since
2005, O'Leary said. The
temporary ban on grant-
ing licenses for such busi-
nesses gives city officials
the time to examine such
issues as zoning, perhaps
to keep bikini baristas
away from schools, librar-
ies and parks, he said.
Mayor Gary Cronce
said he approves of the
moratorium because
it allows time for the
city to revisit laws on
such businesses, and it
gives residents the op-
portunity to share their
views. Cronce said the
ordinance isn't targeting
See BIKINI on page A-20