Blind man granted gun permit

A blind man has been granted a concealed weapons permit from the US state of North Dakota.

Carey McWilliams, a 27-year-old graduate student, says the permit is for protection.

In North Dakota, applicants for concealed weapons permits must pay a fee, undergo a background check and pass written and shooting exams, says Pat Healey, a Cass County sheriff's deputy who administers permit tests.

Mr McWilliams' sight is limited to light perception, which means he can tell night from day. He says he has been blind since he was 10.

He said: "If you choose this blind victim, you might end up dead. I don't want to shoot anybody, but an assailant's life is not an issue with me."

Mr Healey said: "He completed the background check, so the county and city were comfortable with him getting the permit."

Applicants must put 10 shots in a row in a black silhouette target from 21 feet away. Mr McWilliams was allowed to get his bearings on the target before shooting and put nine of 10 in the black the first time around, and the required 10 out of 10 on the re-shoot.

Mr McWilliams added a few more shots as exclamation points, and the target now hangs on his living room wall.