Gun Sales Rise on Heels of Democrats Taking D.C.

PROTECTING GUN RIGHTS Respect the Second Amendment: Millions of hunters and shooters own and use guns each year. Barack Obama believes the Second Amendment creates an individual right, and he respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms. He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns.

In contrast to the above statement, President Elect's voting record is below: Barack Obama's Gun-Related Votes The U.S. Senate Debated: ObamaVoted: Supporting concealed carry for citizens Anti-gun Banning many common semi-automatic firearms Anti-gun Disallowing self-defense in towns where guns are banned Anti-gun Imposing one handgun a month restrictions Anti-gun Requiring lock up your safety trigger locks Anti-gun Protecting gun dealers from frivolous lawsuits Anti-gun Outlawing gun confiscations during a national emergency Pro-gun Squelching the free speech rights of gun owners Anti-gun Restricting the interstate sales of firearms Anti-gun Repealing the gun ban in Washington, DC Anti-gun RIDDLE ME THIS...if gun owners were not so concerned about their 2nd Amendment right--why have guns sales increased DRAMATICALLY in a time of recession...when the average Joe can barely afford his groceries? ...sure hope Biden gets this violence thing under control...scary thought, huh? 26 year old females with guns. *gasp* Gun sales rise in state on heels of Democrats taking reins in D.C. BY NOEL E. OMAN AND BILL BOWDEN Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Sales of handguns and semiautomatic assault-style rifles have been up sharply in recent weeks, according to the proprietors of area gun stores. The rise in gun purchases in Arkansas mirrors increases seen in the rest of the nation, fueled by anxiety and uncertainty over what limits might be placed on future gun purchases in the wake of last week’s election that gave the Democratic Party control over the White House and Congress for the first time in more than a decade. “People are nervous,” said Charles Lawson of Don’s Weaponry at 4116 E. Broadway in North Little Rock. “It’s a substantial increase: Personal protection, handguns, shotguns, rifles. You name it — people want to buy it.” At 12: 30 p.m. Monday, the counter in front of the handgun display wall at Fort Thompson, 5802 Warden Road in North Little Rock, was lined with people, who after a few minutes had handguns picked out and forms completed before heading to the cashier. A longer counter in front of the hunting rifles and shotguns on the other side of the store was empty. “We’ve had a tremendous increase” in sales, said Tom Denniston, Fort Thompson owner for the past 24 years. “It’s probably up 60 to 70 percent.” The wall display holds up to 250 handgun models, including three different barrel lengths for some models. Still, about 50 display slots were empty, the models sold out. A smaller wall display for military-style assault weapons was missing some models, which had sold out as well. “Middle-class America is arming itself,” said Gordy Oates of Lonoke, a professional hunter who allowed that he had “personally ordered two cases of buckshot.” A woman from Vilonia who declined to give her name walked out of the store with a new Springfield XD semiautomatic pistol. “I needed a weapon for protection,” she said. “I just never got around to it before now. I didn’t have one I needed for carry. It’s our right, fortunately.” Benny Arego of Arego Guns in Hot Springs said sales are up significantly at his store. “I’d say it’s gone up 250 percent,” said Arego, who ships guns all over the nation. “If it’s black and it holds a lot of bullets — black, high-cap [capacity ] anything, mostly assault weapons.” Gun dealers in Northwest Arkansas have seen the same thing. “My handgun sales — and especially the clip guns like AK-47, AR-15 and the Sega big-clip shotguns and rifles — are up probably 30 percent,” said Clint Cornett, owner of C&S Gun & Pawn Shop in Springdale. “Our sales would be up even more, but we can’t get the product. It’s a problem nationwide.” Cornett said shoppers tell him they want to buy handguns and semiautomatic tactical weapons now because they think a Democratic president and majority Democratic Congress will ban those weapons. He said ammunition has jumped in price by about 20 percent over the past two weeks. Cornett said he stocked up on rifles for deer season, which began Saturday, and he still has some of those guns in stock. John May, sales manager for Wilson Combat and Scattergun Technologies of Berryville, said hunting guns are not selling well nationwide, but stores can’t keep tactical weapons on the shelf. May said Wilson Combat, which manufactures custom guns, saw orders for tactical weapons jump by about 60 percent last week. Orders for handguns are also up, he said. “If they hold a lot of rounds and they’re a tactical gun, then they’re selling well,” he said. “We deal with dealers mostly.... From what I hear, there’s no ammo anywhere.” Wilson Combat was having a record year before last week’s election, May said, but since then, “It’s significantly more crazy than it was.” It takes Wilson Combat about three months to make a custom handgun, which can range from $ 2, 800 to $ 8, 000, May said. Building a tactical rifle, such as an AR-15, takes four to six weeks, and the cost is usually around $ 2, 000. Wilson Combat specializes in handguns, manufacturing about 250 handguns a month. Darinda Sharp, communications and research director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, suspects something more cynical might be fueling the gun sales. “I can’t think of a single lawabiding citizen who has lost their gun as a result of a Democratic or Republican administration,” she said. “It sounds like a good marketing ploy.” Not all recent gun purchases were about the election. Another factor locally has been the slaying of Anne Pressly, 26, morning news anchor for Little Rock television station KATV, Channel 7. Pressly was found beaten inside her Heights neighborhood home on Oct. 20. She died five days later. “That’s been a big [factor ] in the increase in sales,” said Kevin Lloyd, manager of Bullseye Guns & Ammo at 205 N. Shackleford Road in Little Rock. “A lot are people in the Heights, who lived close to her or who knew her.” As a result of the slaying, people also are purchasing “pepper sprays and stun guns like crazy,” he said. Arego agreed that Pressly’s death has fueled some sales. The weekend before Tuesday’s vote, Arego participated in a gun show in Little Rock and said he’d never had so many first-time gun buyers. “This time it’s more fear,” he said. “Dads bringing their 26-year-old daughter to buy a handgun out of fear. That had nothing to do with the election.”