MONSEY, N.Y. - The number of residents seeking to own handguns has risen sharply in a New York community shaken last month by a machete attack that injured five men during a Hanukkah celebration. The Journal News reports 73 pistol permit applications have been filed with the Rockland County Clerk’s Office since the Dec. 28 attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey, a hamlet in the town of Ramapo northwest of New York City. That compares to 51 applications the office received during the eight weeks prior to the stabbing, County Clerk Paul Piperato told the newspaper. Sixty-eight of the new applications came from Ramapo residents, including 31 from Monsey. “In some way, shape or form, they want to defend themselves.”Chief William Barbera of the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department says an application is the first step in a months-long process.

Source: thestar January 11, 2020 14:37 UTC