Fla. Gun Requests Spike in Recession

Floridians are arming themselves, literally, against the recession and fears of being burgled. There's been a 42% jump in concealed weapons permit requests in the past 45 days, and the state office that issues them is buried under a 95,000-application backlog. It's seeking a $4 million budget transfer to facilitate permit processing, the Miami Herald reports.

“People are getting scared. The economy is scaring them. They don't want their houses broken into,” said one official. (More Florida stories.)