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Political, economic uncertainty triggers gun sales: Possible bans ? Some owners worry Obama will ban firearms.(Salt Lake Tribune, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 30--Gun sales in the waning months of 2008 saw a dramatic spike in Utah, a trend gunowners say is propelled by the election of Barack Obama and a faltering economy. Nearly 9,000 more guns were sold this November compared to the same month last year, and while numbers aren't available yet for December, Lt. Doug Anderson, manager at the Bureau of Criminal Identification, anticipates another large leap for the end of the month. Gun shops are saying the same. "Mostly it's an election scare," said Michael Martin, a sales representative at Impact Guns. "Everyone was freaking out about the elections, and now it's not so much about them but about everyone else freaking out about the people who were freaking out about the election. It's a clear and known rush." At Kearns' Impact Guns, assault weapons, such as AR-15s and AK-47s are out-of-stock after a post-election rush, but it's not only those types of weapons that are flying off the shelves. Handguns also are contributing to increasing sales numbers, and concealed weapons permit applications are jumping as well. Impact Guns saw concealed weapons class enrollment jump from 10 people to 20 or 30, Martin said. The same trend is happening at Fuzzy Bunny Movie Guns in Draper. "People want to know how to use them in a jam," said James Bunten, president of FBMG. "People are telling me 'I'm worried about an economic downturn and crime going up.'" In times of economic hardship, gun sales often see a spike, Bunten said. Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, says while the economic crisis may be a factor, it's not the main one for the jump in sales and permits. "We have sitting senators right now saying they want to ban all handguns," Aposhian said. "I see that as it really isn't hype, but a very real threat." But some gun-control advocates disagree. Gary Sackett, a member of the board of directors of the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, points to gun dealers as fueling the scare on a potential gun ban. "They are trying to get people to panic or if not panic, at least to think this is the last chance to buy these weapons," he said. Steve Gunn, a fellow board member, says the panic over the Obama administration's gun policies isn't rooted in reality. Most gun laws are enacted and enforced by individual states. However, Aposhian is quick to point to the 1995 Assault Weapon Ban, and hopes any future bans aren't any more restrictive. "These people buying firearms are hoping against hope that any ban does not prohibit the actual possession of them," Aposhian said. "I think that would clearly go against the Second Amendment, but I'm not putting anything past anyone." [email protected] Gun sales: October 2007: 9,841 October 2008: 11,117 November 2007: 11,912 November 2008: 20,908 Concealed Weapons Permits: October 2007: 1,518 October 2008: 3,325 November 2007: 2,444 November 2008: 4,513 To see more of The Salt Lake Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sltrib.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Salt Lake Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |