Concealed-carry gun permit applications went up in Butler County significantly in November compared to a year ago.

It is hard to determine if that increase is related to the recent mass shootings in the United States and elsewhere.

Chief Deputy Sheriff Mark Peffer said there has been an increase in residents seeking these permits in the past few weeks.

“It has jumped,” Peffer said.

In November, 624 people applied for permits, which is nearly double the number last year. In November 2014, 346 people applied.

Peffer said the applications for December appear to be increasing along the same lines as November.

On Nov. 13, terrorists killed 130 people in Paris. On Nov. 27, a gunman killed three people in Colorado. Then, on Wednesday, 14 people were killed in an attack in San Bernardino, Calif.

Although Peffer cannot pinpoint these attacks as the exact reasons more people are applying for permits, he said applications do go up after serious attacks.

He said there was a spike in applications after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012 — where a gunman killed 26 people at an elementary school in Connecticut.

“People react to maintain their safety in different ways,” Peffer said.

For people who can pass the background check and get the permit, Peffer said this is a valid option to increase personal safety.

“We support that wholeheartedly,” Peffer said.

He said that at times there have been up to six to 10 people waiting in line for application at the sheriff’s office. He said the entire application process can be completed in less than an hour, but he said the added volume can make the process take longer.

Peffer said the office is not taking shortcuts, despite the added volume, and it is processing the applications correctly. If anyone puts false information on an application, Peffer said he arrests them personally.

At Sportsman’s Supply in Summit Township, store manager James Osche said he has seen an increase in gun sales. However, he said he cannot really attribute it to a reaction to the recent attacks. With the holidays and hunting season under way, this is the busiest time of year for sales, he said.

“Every year at this time of year it’s busy,” Osche said.

Fenelton Firearms in Clearfield Township also has seen a jump in sales.

Manager Brent McLafferty said it likely is due to the time of year, but also due to the shootings.

“I would say it’s both right now. People are definitely a little nervous,” McLafferty said.

He said the store has received a lot of calls from people asking about conceal-carry guns, and said sales are higher than normal.

The trend of more permit applications and more people buying guns is national.

On Nov. 27, the FBI did a record 185,345 background checks for gun purchases. At the same time last year, the FBI processed about 5 percent fewer.

The previous day record was Dec. 21, 2012 — a week after the Sandy Hook shooting.