ARKANSAS EXPERIENCES RUSH FOR SPECIAL WEAPONS PERMIT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Missouri's southern neighbor may provide some insight into what would happen if a right-to-carry law were passed.

The Arkansas legislature passed such a law in late 1995, requiring an extensive background check and firearm training certificates. Gun owners rushed to get concealed weapons permits, said Capt. Bill Young of the Arkansas State Police.

About 5,500 have been issued to date.

"We had no idea what to expect," Young said. "It has slowed down to about 50 a day now, but initially we had huge quantities of people wanting permits."

Accepted training includes the National Rifle Association Personal Protection Course. People who completed the course within six months before the law passed didn't have to retake it, so many of them were first to apply for permits.

If Missouri passed a right-to-carry law, some of the first to apply may be generally law-abiding citizens who already carry guns. Law enforcement officials admit that there are thousands who keep handguns in purses or glove compartments, but if the carriers don't commit crimes and aren't searched, they won't be detected.

"There are quite a number like that," Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. said. "A lot of honest citizens in Missouri carry, but police never know until they're arrested for driving while intoxicated or patted down on a failure to appear charge."