Article on Permits in PA

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Hold on tight to those permits.

An unusual move, firearm permit revoked


By Keith Gushard

A Guys Mills man has lost his permit to carry a concealed firearm under a stipulation in state law that hasn’t been invoked in Crawford County for the last 16 years, if ever.

Former Crawford Central School District tea-cher and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Gary Young says he will appeal Sheriff Walter (Nick) Hoke’s decision to revoke his permit.

Last week, Young received a certified letter from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office stating his license to carry a concealed firearm had been revoked and he had five days to turn in his permit.

“The Sheriff of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, has determined that your character and reputation is such that you would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to the public,” the letter from Sheriff Hoke read.

Young still is allowed to own guns, but can’t carry a concealed weapon without the permit.

“Nobody has told me why,” Young said after he gave up the concealed firearm permit Tuesday at the sheriff’s office at the courthouse. “Nothing has been said. I want to know who my accusers are.”

Sheriff Hoke said, “I’m not able to discuss the matter.”

Young said he’s had the permit for seven years and he has never been arrested nor has he been charged with any crime.

Young said the revocation may stem from trying to help his son in a custody case involving Young’s grandson. That case has been going on since at least 2006.

Since taking office in January, Hoke hasn’t revoked any permits.

Bob Stevens, who served as Crawford County’s sheriff for 16 years before Hoke, said he never invoked the clause cited by Hoke about persons being a danger to the public.

In his 16 years as sheriff he had revoked about a dozen permits due to misconduct by a person, Stevens said.

Stevens said he remembers revoking the permit of a man who was arrested for drunken driving who had two loaded guns in his vehicle.

Stevens said he also revoked the permit of a man who had a complaint with a store over the purchase of an appliance. The man had a gun in his waistband and pulled his coat back to show the clerk the weapon.

Young said he’s never used the gun to intimidate persons.

“I’ve followed all the rules,” he said.

Young does have the right to appeal the revocation to Craw-ford County Court of Common Pleas and plans an appeal.