A “140 percent” increase in concealed handgun license applications puts Texas on the verge of surpassing a total of one million license holders in the state.

Those are one million people who can carry a handgun concealed or, if they choose, carry it openly under the Open Carry law Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed into law last year.

According to CBS-DFW, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) “received 136,000 License to Carry applications” from December 2015 through February 2016. That “140 percent jump in applications” when compared to the “57,000 [applications submitted] over that period last year.”

Central Texas Gun Works owner Michael Cargill believes the surge in applications is due to an overall sense of unrest in the nation right now. He credited that unrest to “fears of terrorism brought on by the shootings in San Bernardino” combined with the continued concern that President Obama is still pushing gun control.

The DPS has been forced to increase staff dedicated to concealed handgun licensing in order to keep up with the growing demand.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at [email protected].