Posted on 09/27/2001 2:32:22 PM PDT by The Other Harry
September 27, 2001
Number of gun buyers surging
42% rise in state in wake of attacks
BY ROXANNE STITES
San Jose Mercury News
Californians are heading into gun stores at an accelerated pace in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the East Coast, driving up the number of gun buyers more than 40 percent since Sept. 11.
``This year was going to be an average year until this surge,'' Mike Van Winkle, state Department of Justice spokesman, said Wednesday. ``We don't know how long it will last.''
In the past two weeks, officials said, about 18,500 people have purchased pistols, revolvers or rifles in California, compared with 13,000 in the same two-week period last year, a 42 percent increase.
Broken down into weekly sales, 6,041 people bought one or more guns the week before the attacks; that compares with 9,035 sales the week of Sept. 10 and 9,556 the week of Sept. 17.
While state justice officials hesitate to draw a correlation between the attacks and the increase in sales, state figures show that similar spikes in the last two decades followed other crises or riots.
Over the last two weeks, the state's residents have changed their behavior in remarkable ways -- shying away from air travel, stocking up on gas masks -- and Bay Area gun shop owners have little doubt that fear of war and further acts of terrorism are driving weapons purchases as well.
``Our country is at war,'' said JoAnn Kritzer, manager of Target Masters in Milpitas. ``They think now's the time to educate themselves and put a firearm in the house.''
Robert Dunning, a pilot and union representative for American Airlines, purchased his first handgun, a 9mm Beretta, in Milpitas on Wednesday. He had previously owned rifles.
``I've been wanting to buy a pistol for years, but the attacks pushed me over the edge,'' he said. ``I didn't buy it to protect myself from terrorists. Then again, we're at war right now and I have a pretty good imagination. Maybe someone will attack the Bay Area next. Who knows. Nobody expected anyone to hijack a plane and fly it into the trade center.''
Dunning said he hopes getting a gun into the cockpit will be next. ``I'm a strong supporter of armed pilots,'' he said.
Van Winkle, spokesman for the agency that monitors gun sales, said that in the past two decades, gun sales have peaked most significantly three times, all in times of crisis or after a significant or threatening event.
After the Los Angeles riots in 1992, weapons sales nearly doubled for three years, from about 350,000 annual sales to 600,000.
The assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981 is credited with skewing numbers upward for two years. While the state average was 275,000, gun sales in 1981 rose to 370,000 and tapered to 330,000 in 1982 before returning to normal.
``The consensus was, that if the president can get shot, anybody can get shot,'' Van Winkle said. ``And there was also the fear that it eventually would lead to stricter gun laws.''
The most recent significant increase came at the end of 1999, officials said, driven by Y2K fears and legislation that banned new assault weapons sales in 2000. Sales went from 350,000 in 1998 to 513,000 in 1999.
Kritzer said she knew business was going to get a boost the day of the attacks. A man came in and bought a Ruger mini-14 rifle and a Taurus .357-revolver -- one for him and one for his wife. The man told Kritzer that his wife, once staunchly against guns in the house, changed her mind after seeing the destruction on TV.
A first-time gun buyer in San Jose said that while the terrorist attacks seem to be over, he wants protection for the future.
``What if the next attack is chemical which leads to domestic unrest and looting and people becoming desperate for basic needs?'' said John, who didn't want his last name used. ``I realize how that sounds, but how would it have sounded if somebody predicted the attack in New York?''
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Contact Roxanne Stites at rstites@sjmercury.com or (408) 271-3780.
Its because the domestic enemies [led by Sarah Brady, the Poster broad for an unarmed, cowering citizenry] of freedom have done their job well - they have convinced the gullible among us that we should be more afraid of a gun in the hands of a good guy then of an airplane in the hands of a terrorist. The likes of HCI (sure, they changed their name - but their agenda remains the same) are not to be congratulated, but condemned for their acts of sedition and treason. In my mind its treason NOT to be armed in America since we all have not only a Constitutional right to be armed, but a duty as well.
The scope is $500, the rifle probably $1500.
I have something just like it. Anyone who wants to save the $2000 is welcome to borrow it, as long as they bring me back one of the monsters ears. :)
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