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CA:Gun ownership is back on the rise
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
How is this for cofusion?The following article somehow explains that gun sales are on the rise in CA (as well as on the decline?)
Gun ownership is back on the rise By Dennis Johnson DAILY BREEZE It's a Saturday afternoon and the firearms counter in the Turner's Outdoorsman store is two-people deep in some spots.Customers are checking out hunting rifles and shotguns, one man is inspecting a Ruger 9 mm pistol, another is taking a firearms safety test and several others look at the handguns displayed in the glass case, exchanging gun-talk with the Redondo Beach store's employees.In the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this scene has repeated itself in countless gun stores and sporting goods shops across the country."I think that a lot of people who have been on the fence or may have been anti-firearm" are changing their minds, said Gene Lumsden, vice president of operations for the Chino-based chain of hunting and fishing stores. "I think that the tide is swinging back to where people are saying, `This is my right and I want to exercise it.' "Following a nationwide trend, South Bay gun dealers and firing ranges have seen a dramatic increase in business since Sept. 11. People are buying new guns, getting old ones fixed and learning how to shoot the ones they already own.Just as they did during the riots in 1992, the earthquake in 1994 and other times of societal upheaval, many people have concerns of self-defense and having a gun is one of the ways to satisfy this protective need.Statewide handgun sales, however, are generally declining according to statistics kept by the state Department of Justice. This, despite the spike after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.Handgun sales are at their lowest point since the state started keeping tabs in 1972, with 123,259 handguns sold through the end of October, down from 147,326 this time last year, and 189,907 at the same time in 1999, said Luis Tolley of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.40% sales rise Lumsden said Turner's gun sales rose about 40 percent and enrollment in its firearms safety classes has doubled over the past two months - women accounting for nearly 70 percent of the increase."I just think people want to feel that they have some protection within their reach when they're at home," he said.The increase in firearms sales is coinciding with the start of duck hunting season, which also means good sales for gun and sporting goods dealers.Although no national or local sales figures are available, individual stores and ranges report the upswing in customers, which many attribute to the feelings of vulnerability left by the airliner hijackings and anthrax attacks.It's as if people are feeling a personal sense of violation."I think a lot of people looked at what happened on Sept. 11 and saw that it kind of proves . . . the government can't really protect you," firearms activist Randy Herrst said. "That epiphany kind of carries over to their personal life."Herrst runs the South Bay-based Center for the Study of Crime, which researches issues about crime and gun control. Throughout the country some states and cities are seeing an upswing of up to 100 percent in gun sales, he said.The certified personal protection instructor also said he's had many inquiries as to what kind of guns people should buy for self-protection.Dan Kash, manager at the LAX Firing Range in Inglewood, said business has been up by about 200 percent for everything from usage of the firing lanes to people taking classes.Kash said he figured that some people are coming because they're not traveling, so they're looking to let off some steam or improve their shooting skills. Around 1:15 p.m. on a Thursday there were about a dozen people target shooting inside the tidy range."People who were on the fence about buying a gun before, the events may have pushed them into it," he said.One customer who asked to not be named said he could understand people wanting to go out and buy a gun, saying that it's a way for people to feel they have some control over uncontrollable events.Even if it's not completely practical in the current war on terrorism, gun ownership is a good idea in California where past upheaval - either natural or man-made - showed that sometimes people have to fend for themselves, he said.While the numbers are up for sales and gun range use, South Bay law enforcement agencies have not noticed any increase in the number of people applying for concealed weapons permits, with most receiving just a handful of applications during the year."Normally we see six to 12 applications in a year's time," Torrance police Detective Jim Lynch said. "I've received one inquiry since Sept. 11, but no applications."The same is true in all of the beach cities including El Segundo, where Sgt. Carlos Mendoza said he hasn't seen anything come through."One guy filed a renewal," he said. "We get very few, in a typical year three to five."Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee would not say how many concealed weapons permits the LAPD grants, but said there aren't many."You can count them on one hand," he said. "And, no, there hasn't been any increase for the permits. Zero."Whether or not this move toward self-protection remains constant or fades like past surges in gun-buying remains unknown, especially as the ever-potential threat of terrorism hangs over the country.Newfound respect But to hear those in the field talk, gun ownership is gaining some newfound respect as a reasonable way to protect against the unknown.At Sharpshooter Inc. Indoor Target Range and Gun Shop in Torrance, co-owner Dolores Gaines said there has been a big increase in the number of people who are using the range and taking classes."A lot of people are realizing that we all need to defend ourselves. There are just not enough police out there," Gaines said. "It sort of makes you aware that we're not as protected as we'd like to be." Staff Writer Josh Grossberg contributed to this article. http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmguns11.html
Gun ownership is back on the rise By Dennis Johnson DAILY BREEZE It's a Saturday afternoon and the firearms counter in the Turner's Outdoorsman store is two-people deep in some spots.Customers are checking out hunting rifles and shotguns, one man is inspecting a Ruger 9 mm pistol, another is taking a firearms safety test and several others look at the handguns displayed in the glass case, exchanging gun-talk with the Redondo Beach store's employees.In the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this scene has repeated itself in countless gun stores and sporting goods shops across the country."I think that a lot of people who have been on the fence or may have been anti-firearm" are changing their minds, said Gene Lumsden, vice president of operations for the Chino-based chain of hunting and fishing stores. "I think that the tide is swinging back to where people are saying, `This is my right and I want to exercise it.' "Following a nationwide trend, South Bay gun dealers and firing ranges have seen a dramatic increase in business since Sept. 11. People are buying new guns, getting old ones fixed and learning how to shoot the ones they already own.Just as they did during the riots in 1992, the earthquake in 1994 and other times of societal upheaval, many people have concerns of self-defense and having a gun is one of the ways to satisfy this protective need.Statewide handgun sales, however, are generally declining according to statistics kept by the state Department of Justice. This, despite the spike after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.Handgun sales are at their lowest point since the state started keeping tabs in 1972, with 123,259 handguns sold through the end of October, down from 147,326 this time last year, and 189,907 at the same time in 1999, said Luis Tolley of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.40% sales rise Lumsden said Turner's gun sales rose about 40 percent and enrollment in its firearms safety classes has doubled over the past two months - women accounting for nearly 70 percent of the increase."I just think people want to feel that they have some protection within their reach when they're at home," he said.The increase in firearms sales is coinciding with the start of duck hunting season, which also means good sales for gun and sporting goods dealers.Although no national or local sales figures are available, individual stores and ranges report the upswing in customers, which many attribute to the feelings of vulnerability left by the airliner hijackings and anthrax attacks.It's as if people are feeling a personal sense of violation."I think a lot of people looked at what happened on Sept. 11 and saw that it kind of proves . . . the government can't really protect you," firearms activist Randy Herrst said. "That epiphany kind of carries over to their personal life."Herrst runs the South Bay-based Center for the Study of Crime, which researches issues about crime and gun control. Throughout the country some states and cities are seeing an upswing of up to 100 percent in gun sales, he said.The certified personal protection instructor also said he's had many inquiries as to what kind of guns people should buy for self-protection.Dan Kash, manager at the LAX Firing Range in Inglewood, said business has been up by about 200 percent for everything from usage of the firing lanes to people taking classes.Kash said he figured that some people are coming because they're not traveling, so they're looking to let off some steam or improve their shooting skills. Around 1:15 p.m. on a Thursday there were about a dozen people target shooting inside the tidy range."People who were on the fence about buying a gun before, the events may have pushed them into it," he said.One customer who asked to not be named said he could understand people wanting to go out and buy a gun, saying that it's a way for people to feel they have some control over uncontrollable events.Even if it's not completely practical in the current war on terrorism, gun ownership is a good idea in California where past upheaval - either natural or man-made - showed that sometimes people have to fend for themselves, he said.While the numbers are up for sales and gun range use, South Bay law enforcement agencies have not noticed any increase in the number of people applying for concealed weapons permits, with most receiving just a handful of applications during the year."Normally we see six to 12 applications in a year's time," Torrance police Detective Jim Lynch said. "I've received one inquiry since Sept. 11, but no applications."The same is true in all of the beach cities including El Segundo, where Sgt. Carlos Mendoza said he hasn't seen anything come through."One guy filed a renewal," he said. "We get very few, in a typical year three to five."Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee would not say how many concealed weapons permits the LAPD grants, but said there aren't many."You can count them on one hand," he said. "And, no, there hasn't been any increase for the permits. Zero."Whether or not this move toward self-protection remains constant or fades like past surges in gun-buying remains unknown, especially as the ever-potential threat of terrorism hangs over the country.Newfound respect But to hear those in the field talk, gun ownership is gaining some newfound respect as a reasonable way to protect against the unknown.At Sharpshooter Inc. Indoor Target Range and Gun Shop in Torrance, co-owner Dolores Gaines said there has been a big increase in the number of people who are using the range and taking classes."A lot of people are realizing that we all need to defend ourselves. There are just not enough police out there," Gaines said. "It sort of makes you aware that we're not as protected as we'd like to be." Staff Writer Josh Grossberg contributed to this article. http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmguns11.html