TX: Local handgun sales steady, handgun instructors busy (1/1/2002)

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Local handgun sales steady, handgun instructors busyBy PAUL MONIES Tribune-Herald staff writerDespite national reports of a run on guns since Sept. 11, local retailers say sales have remained steady and any increases can be attributed to normal hunting season sales and holiday gift-giving. However, several gun safety instructors said they have seen increases in the number of people signing up for concealed handgun training since the terrorist attacks. Statewide, there were 218,661 Texans licensed to carry concealed handguns as of Dec. 3, according to figures from the Texas Department of Public Safety. That number is up more than 500 licenses since Sept. 4. Since it can take up to two months to get a license, officials say the best predictor of interest is the official application request cards mailed to the DPS. Spokeswoman Lorraine Ronquillo said the DPS mailed more than 6,500 applications in September. That jumped to about 10,000 in both October and November, she said. Monthly averages in previous years were about 5,000. Local instructors have noted the increased interest but are realistic about post-Sept. 11 events. "Carrying a concealed handgun is not going to protect you from a terrorist in a plane," said Webb Norfleet, owner of Firearms Training Institute of Waco. "But it gets you thinking about your personal protection. People ask, 'What are my options?'" Norfleet said interest in his classes has increased noticeably since Sept. 11. He is also seeing more women taking the class, he said. "Now most of my classes are about one-third female," he said. "That's opposed to the one-tenth that it used to be." Norfleet said some women who said they "hated" guns before are surprised by the course. "Usually after that first shot, they'll stand there with a look on their face like, 'What's the big deal?'" he said. "They'll say, 'This is not anything like I thought it was,' and leave with a totally different perception of guns." Gun shop owner Nancy Sidarous understands that mentality. She said she's had her concealed handgun license for several months, well before Sept. 11. "You hear that women are scared of guns and don't want them in the house," she said. "Many of those women haven't been in a situation where they've faced someone while they were alone." Sidarous, who runs Hewitt Guns 'N Gold with her husband, Hani, said she warded off a potential attacker while she was alone at a highway rest stop with her children. "I pulled the .38 out and he didn't have anything more to do with us," she said. "He didn't want the car or anything. But I don't know what might have happened if I didn't have the gun. It gave me new respect for the police who strap on guns everyday. It's a big responsibility." Sidarous disputed accounts of huge increases in gun sales since Sept. 11 and said September to December have always been big months for gun shops, at least in Central Texas. "We always have more sales in late August and early September because that's right before hunting season," she said. "And at Christmas, lots of dads give their sons guns as gifts, as do wives for their husbands. We just don't see a big rise that's more than normal for this time of year." However, Sidarous said she has noticed increases in handgun ammunition sales, such as hollow-point bullets. "Crime usually rises around Christmas," she said. "With the economy getting bad, and reports of purse snatchings and bank robberies, more women are buying the kind of personal protection guns like the Glock .40-caliber, 9 millimeters and .45s." Brad Burney, owner of Praco Gun and Pawn in Waco, said he noticed a little jump in sales right after Sept. 11. "Ammo sales did go up right after," he said. "But it's leveled off, and this is the busiest time of the year for us anyway. Maybe in New York and New Jersey (gun) sales are going through the roof, but it would be difficult to say that's happening around here." Burney said Sept. 11 may have gotten people thinking about protection, but most of his sales have been "the standard-fare hunting stuff." An employee at the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart Supercenter on Franklin Avenue said more people are buying handgun ammunition but he has seen no big spikes in gun sales. Neither Target nor Kmart Super Center sells handgun ammunition, Waco store employees said. David Valdez, the manager of Kmart Super Center's sporting goods department, said many customers mention the Sept. 11 attacks when buying guns. Kmart Super Center sells rifles and shotguns, but stopped selling handguns several years ago, he said. "Lately they've been saying, my car or my house has been broken into and of course they mention events like Sept. 11," Valdez said. "They just want to have a gun in the house just in case." Norfleet, the handgun instructor, said the rise in ammunition sales could be because most people locally who want a gun already own one. "People already have the guns around here," he said. "But there's also a lot of ammo being dumped on the market cheaply right now, so that could be a reason too." McLennan County ranks ninth in the state among large-population counties for per capita concealed-handgun licenses, according to a Tribune-Herald analysis of the DPS data and U.S. Census figures. There are 34 Texas counties with more than 100,000 residents. With 3,058 McLennan County residents licensed to carry concealed weapons, the per capita rate is 143 license holders for every 10,000 people, as of Dec. 3. The statewide average per capita is 104 license holders for each 10,000 residents. Galveston County leads the way among large counties, with 195 licenses per 10,000 people. Tiny Loving County in West Texas, however, with just 67 people and four licenses, leads the statewide per capita rate for counties large and small. Two of the six counties surrounding McLennan County have higher per capita rates: Bosque County, with 231 per 10,000 people, and Hill County, with 161 per 10,000. Limestone, Falls, Bell and Coryell all have lower per capita rates than McLennan County. Concealed weapons instructor Carl Chandler, who runs Chandler Gun Range near Valley Mills, said he's seen interest in his classes rise three-fold since Sept. 11. Chandler said many of his newer students are women, but said he does get the occasional "good-ole boy." "I do get these 'Bubbas' who come into class and want to know it all right away," Chandler said. "I get around it by making fun of that mentality. I tell them, 'Don't believe everything you hear on TV.' I tell them what the law is and how deadly force is used." Norfleet said that when the Texas concealed-carry law was signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1995, many critics feared the "macho" stereotype of gun owners. "A lot of people thought concealed carry was a macho thing," Norfleet said. "What they're realizing now, and a lot of women are too, is that it's not a macho thing to have a license; it's the responsible thing. "We're not teaching people to be cops. We're training people to look after themselves, their family and their possessions. The whole idea is to avoid getting into dangerous situations in the first place." Paul Monies can be reached at pmonies@wacotrib.com or at 757-5751. about your personal protection. People ask, 'What are my options?'" Norfleet said interest in his classes has increased noticeably since Sept. 11. He is also seeing more women taking the class, he said. "Now most of my classes are about one-third female," he said. "That's opposed to the one-tenth that it used to be." Norfleet said some women who said they "hated" guns before are surprised by the course. "Usually after that first shot, they'll stand there with a look on their face like, 'What's the big deal?'" he said. "They'll say, 'This is not anything like I thought it was,' and leave with a totally different perception of guns." Gun shop owner Nancy Sidarous understands that mentality. She said she's had her concealed handgun license for several months, well before Sept. 11. "You hear that women are scared of guns and don't want them in the house," she said. "Many of those women haven't been in a situation where they've faced someone while they were alone." Sidarous, who runs Hewitt Guns 'N Gold with her husband, Hani, said she warded off a potential attacker while she was alone at a highway rest stop with her children. "I pulled the .38 out and he didn't have anything more to do with us," she said. "He didn't want the car or anything. But I don't know what might have happened if I didn't have the gun. It gave me new respect for the police who strap on guns everyday. It's a big responsibility." Sidarous disputed accounts of huge increases in gun sales since Sept. 11 and said September to December have always been big months for gun shops, at least in Central Texas. "We always have more sales in late August and early September because that's right before hunting season," she said. "And at Christmas, lots of dads give their sons guns as gifts, as do wives for their husbands. We just don't see a big rise that's more than normal for this time of year." However, Sidarous said she has noticed increases in handgun ammunition sales, such as hollow-point bullets. "Crime usually rises around Christmas," she said. "With the economy getting bad, and reports of purse snatchings and bank robberies, more women are buying the kind of personal protection guns like the Glock .40-caliber, 9 millimeters and .45s." Brad Burney, owner of Praco Gun and Pawn in Waco, said he noticed a little jump in sales right after Sept. 11. "Ammo sales did go up right after," he said. "But it's leveled off, and this is the busiest time of the year for us anyway. Maybe in New York and New Jersey (gun) sales are going through the roof, but it would be difficult to say that's happening around here." Burney said Sept. 11 may have gotten people thinking about protection, but most of his sales have been "the standard-fare hunting stuff." An employee at the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart Supercenter on Franklin Avenue said more people are buying handgun ammunition but he has seen no big spikes in gun sales. Neither Target nor Kmart Super Center sells handgun ammunition, Waco store employees said. David Valdez, the manager of Kmart Super Center's sporting goods department, said many customers mention the Sept. 11 attacks when buying guns. Kmart Super Center sells rifles and shotguns, but stopped selling handguns several years ago, he said. "Lately they've been saying, my car or my house has been broken into and of course they mention events like Sept. 11," Valdez said. "They just want to have a gun in the house just in case." Norfleet, the handgun instructor, said the rise in ammunition sales could be because most people locally who want a gun already own one. "People already have the guns around here," he said. "But there's also a lot of ammo being dumped on the market cheaply right now, so that could be a reason too." McLennan County ranks ninth in the state among large-population counties for per capita concealed-handgun licenses, according to a Tribune-Herald analysis of the DPS data and U.S. Census figures. There are 34 Texas counties with more than 100,000 residents. With 3,058 McLennan County residents licensed to carry concealed weapons, the per capita rate is 143 license holders for every 10,000 people, as of Dec. 3. The statewide average per capita is 104 license holders for each 10,000 residents. Galveston County leads the way among large counties, with 195 licenses per 10,000 people. Tiny Loving County in West Texas, however, with just 67 people and four licenses, leads the statewide per capita rate for counties large and small. Two of the six counties surrounding McLennan County have higher per capita rates: Bosque County, with 231 per 10,000 people, and Hill County, with 161 per 10,000. Limestone, Falls, Bell and Coryell all have lower per capita rates than McLennan County. Concealed weapons instructor Carl Chandler, who runs Chandler Gun Range near Valley Mills, said he's seen interest in his classes rise three-fold since Sept. 11. Chandler said many of his newer students are women, but said he does get the occasional "good-ole boy." "I do get these 'Bubbas' who come into class and want to know it all right away," Chandler said. "I get around it by making fun of that mentality. I tell them, 'Don't believe everything you hear on TV.' I tell them what the law is and how deadly force is used." Norfleet said that when the Texas concealed-carry law was signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1995, many critics feared the "macho" stereotype of gun owners. "A lot of people thought concealed carry was a macho thing," Norfleet said. "What they're realizing now, and a lot of women are too, is that it's not a macho thing to have a license; it's the responsible thing. "We're not teaching people to be cops. We're training people to look after themselves, their family and their possessions. The whole idea is to avoid getting into dangerous situations in the first place." Paul Monies can be reached at pmonies@wacotrib.com or at 757-5751. http://www.wacotrib.com/auto/feed/news/2001/12/28/1009604887.15203.4180.0300.html