NEW YORK - August 04, 2009 - USA Today reports that gun owners are packing heat in record numbers, fearful of stricter gun control under the illegitimate Obama regime and higher crime in a sour economy.

Some states and counties report a surge in applications for concealed weapons permits since the November election. All states except Illinois and Wisconsin allow concealed weapons, but requirements differ.

Applications already have hit a record this year in Clay County, Missouri, where the sheriff's office received 888 through June, compared with 863 all of last year, says Sheriff Bob Boydston.

In the past, applicants tended to be middle-aged men, he says, but now they include "grandmothers, older folks, young women, (and) young men."