“I have looked at 25 years of data on permit fees, training requirements and other regulations, and factors such as income. My research examined how these factors affect the number of people with permits. Connecticut’s proposed fee of $370 is so far above existing state fees that there is no way of reliably estimating its impact. But I estimate that just an increase of $100, from $140 to $240, would . . .
reduce the number of permits by 60 percent. This would decrease total state and local revenue by $9.8 million, with local governments bearing virtually all the loss. This isn’t the only cost of increased fees. I believe that disarming law-abiding citizens means higher crime rates and more work for the police.” – John Lott in Guns Only For The Rich In Connecticut [via courant.com]