Florida Gun Sales and CCW Permits up

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State gun sales shoot up after Sept.11 terrorism By Brendan FarringtonTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS Officials say permits, background checks alsoincreasedFloridians motivated by anxiety in the wake of theSept. 11 terrorist attacks are buying guns orgetting refamiliar with the ones they have.Sales at the Tactical Edge gun shop and range inWest Palm Beach have more than doubled sincethe attacks, and the once-a-month training classesthat used to attract a handful of people are nowscheduled twice weekly and fill up at 20 per class,said owner Timothy Fox."Not that buying a gun is going to stop a terroristattack, but people are feeling vulnerable," Foxsaid. "They're not going to stop anthrax or bombsor airplanes, but their personal safety is feeling alittle more secure than it was the day before."He said people in his area may particularly feel theneed for security because most of the terroristsinvolved in the attacks in New York andWashington trained nearby for the suicide mission."People, from what we're hearing, they're a littletaken aback that here in South Florida, that'swhere the people making preparations of thisdastardly crime were living," he said. Checks, permit requests skyrocket The state Division of Licensing has seen athreefold increase in gun-permit applicationrequests in September over the same month lastyear, a jump from 5,280 to 15,515.The Florida Department of Law Enforcementreports that background checks for gun sales haveshot up since the attacks. In the eight days beforethe attacks, the FDLE performed 4,519 checks. Inthe first six days after the attack, 6,773 checkswere performed.Florida does not require a permit to own a gun butdoes require an FDLE background check topurchase one. The state also requires a permit tocarry a concealed gun.Republican state Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite said shehas carried a Colt .38 revolver in her glovecompartment for some time while making the200-mile drive from her home in Brooksville toTallahassee. Since the attacks, she has applied fora concealed weapons permit to carry the gun whenshe's not driving.She said it is something she had planned to do formonths but always put off."I am concerned about security, of course I am,"she said. "I cannot say it was the attacks on Sept.11 that made me do it, I just said, 'I really shouldproceed with this.' "So have many others since the attacks."There may have been a large number of peoplelike me who have always had a weapon and whopostponed going for the carry permit,"Brown-Waite said. "I hadn't shot the gun for areal long time, so I'm one of those people whobought more ammunition." 'An incredible jump' Gun stores are noticing a big difference in sales."It's been an incredible jump," said Danny Dixon,manager of Discount Guns in Tampa. "I have a lotof new people buying pistols for protection athome. I have a lot of people who have been gunbuyers who are stepping up to assault rifles."Sales are so brisk he said he's had trouble keepingweapons in stock or having them available tocustomers after their three-day waiting period.Ammunition is also flying out the door."We went from selling it by the box to selling it bythe case," Dixon said. "It's a shame that a tragedylike this has come to great business for a gunshop."Rob Walker, manager of the Gun Gallery inJacksonville, said sales have increased 300 to 500percent since the attacks over the same period lastyear. Surprising number of first-timers "It's not the way we wanted to do business, but wewill take it any way it comes," he said. "I find itsomewhat amusing. It isn't like we are going to getinvaded . . . Maybe they are worried about thepeople that are here."And Fox said his gun shop is seeing a surprisingnumber of first-time buyers."People who were against guns or afraid of gunsor were against keeping firearms in their homes -those are the people coming in, and they'rethinking, 'It's not so bad,' " he said.National Rifle Association lobbyist MarionHammer said her Tallahassee office has beenreceiving a lot of calls from people interested inbuying a gun for the first time."I didn't sense that any of them were real thrilledabout the fear they're feeling. They're not realexcited about buying a gun; it's just somethingthey feel they have to do," she said."I don't personally feel threatened; I feel caution.I think we need to be more aware of where wetravel and what we do, but of course I alreadyhave my gun.""Not that buying a gun is going to stop a terroristattack, but people are feeling vulnerable. They'renot going to stop anthrax or bombs or airplanes,but their personal safety is feeling a little moresecure than it was the day before." hhhhhhhhhh Timothy Fox owner of Tactical Edgegun shop and range in West Palm Beach

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