Gun Sales Increase Ahead Of Obama Pesidency - With Video
You bet cha!
Sun 9 November 2008
Josh Brogadir, NECN) - More than 10 million Americans are without jobs for the first time in 14 years and economists are predicting a dismal holiday shopping season.
But guns and ammunition are selling in record numbers amid concerns about tougher gun laws to come.
It started as Americans predicted a Barack Obama victory and has continued now that the Illinois Senator is the President-elect.
“(I’ve) been shooting since I was about 6 years old,” said longtime gun owner Carl Pietro, of Attleboro, Massachusetts as he looked for a new rifle at Northeast Trading Company in neighboring North Attleboro.
He is also looking to buy one sooner than later.
“I think we’re going to see a lot of changes and I think they’re pretty much going to go against the gun owner. I can’t see how they’re going to help us in any way, shape or form,” Pietro said.
Barack Obama’s victory on Tuesday combined with a Democrat controlled Congress has led to concerns from gun owners about the possibility of tougher gun laws - across the country and here in Massachusetts.
What it is also done, is drive up the sale of guns - at places like Northeast Trading Company.
“Business is up significantly, probably 20-25 percent since the election,” store owner Ted Oven said.
This has been Oven’s busiest week in his business’s 17 years. He only has a few semi-automatic assault rifles left in the store. And he is not alone:
Last month, nationwide, there were 108,000 more background checks for people who wanted to buy guns than one year ago.
That’s a 15 percent increase.
And according to the FBI, background checks are up 8 percent for the year as of October 26.
There was a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons in the last Democratic presidential administration.
The President Clinton-led ban started in 1994 and expired in 2004.
Some gun owners fear that they will not be able to buy those types of guns once again.
“I definitely think that they’re going to tighten it up. I think that people that are properly registered and have everything in line don’t really have anything to worry about,” said Ted Griffin of Holliston.
“I think our new president is going to have his hands full with what’s going on in the Middle East, obviously the economy in this country is going to be the first thing. Guns, I think are not the front runner of his target right now,” owner Ted Oven said.
And Obama himself has previously said he supports the 2nd amendment right to bear arms and what he calls “common sense” gun laws.
“You have nothing to worry about from me,” Obama said months ago on the campaign trail.
Personal protection and sport are the two reasons gun owners mentioned for buying pistols, rifles, and ammunition.
They told NECN they do not think tougher gun laws will keep guns out of the hands of criminals, just out of the hands of law-abiding citizens who want to keep their right to bear arms.
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