Guns Sales Surging After Colorado Shooting – Citizens Fear New Gun Restrictions
DENVER — Firearms sales are surging in the wake of the Colorado movie massacre as buyers express fears about both personal safety and anti-gun lawmakers who might use the shooting to seek new weapons restrictions.
In Colorado, the site of Friday’s shooting that killed 12 and injured dozens of others, gun sales jumped in the three days that followed. The state approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm — 25 percent more than the average Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 percent more than the same interval the week prior.
Dick Rutan, owner of Gunners Den in suburban Arvada, Colo., said requests for concealed-weapon training certification “are off the hook.” His four-hour course in gun safety, required for certification for a concealed-weapons permit in Colorado, has drawn double the interest since Friday.
“What they’re saying is: They want to have a chance. They want to have the ability to protect themselves and their families if they are in a situation like what happened in the movie theater,” Rutan said.
Day-to-day gun sales frequently fluctuate, but the numbers also look strong outside of Colorado, too.
Seattle’s home county, King, saw nearly twice as many requests for concealed pistol licenses than the same timeframe a year ago. Florida recorded 2,386 background checks on Friday, up 14 percent from the week before. Oregon checks on Friday and Saturday were up 11 percent over the month prior. Four days of checks in California were up 10 percent month-to-month.
During the past decade, June and July have consistently been the slowest months for gun sales, according to FBI data.
Jay Wallace, who owns Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, Ga., found that his sales on Saturday were up 300 percent from the same day a year ago — making it one of the best Saturdays his business has ever had. He said customers are often afraid when there’s a gun-related tragedy that some lawmakers might try and push through an anti-gun agenda.
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