NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) Police in several Connecticut towns say they've seen a large increase in gun permit applications since the Newtown school shootings last month.
Milford Police Chief Keith Mello told the New Haven Register that the number of gun permit applications in his town has doubled since a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He says the department has handed out 44 applications in the past month, compared with 20 in the same period last year.
Police in several other towns including Seymour, Branford and Middletown also are reporting increases in permit applications. Statewide figures weren't immediately available.
Gun dealers around the country say they've seen a spike in gun sales in response to Newtown and renewed talk of a federal ban on assault weapons.