Posted on 07/12/2012 2:05:52 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
While plans by a pair of businessmen to locate a gun shop in midtown may have caught some off guard, the store's prospective opening at 24th and J streets is part of a trend that has seen nearly two dozen gun shops open in the Sacramento region in the past two years.
About 185 gun dealers and manufacturers are based in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties, an increase of 13 percent from 2010, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Gun shop owners and their advocates say the number of new businesses corresponds with an increased demand for firearms.
"Because of (state) budget cuts, they are letting people out of jail and this makes people uneasy," said Wesley Lewis, who has owned Guns N Stuff, a gun store in North Highlands, for 20 years. Lewis was referring to new state and local policies that are allowing some nonviolent criminals to return to the community to ease jail overcrowding.
Last year, California gun dealers sold approximately 295,000 handguns, double the number sold in 2004, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Justice.
The gun shop planned for midtown – M&J Gun Trade, in the former Cornerstone restaurant building – captured the attention of Sacramento City Council members Kevin McCarty and Rob Fong. The pair said they want the city to re-examine the approval process for opening a gun shop.
Under current law, the city does not have the power to determine whether a location is suitable for a gun shop or not, according to McCarty.
...Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said there are two types of laws that cities can enact to regulate where gun shops locate.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Considering all the obstacles to firearms purchases in California one reads about, this is quite an accomplishment.
Too bad we are a “May Issue” state. You need to have “good moral character” and convince your local Police Chief or County Sheriff to issue a license to carry.
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