From November 2008 to May 2009, gun dealers in Sacramento County sold nearly 5,000 more guns than they did in the same period last year, an increase of 40 percent, statistics from the state Bureau of Firearms show.
The state increase in gun sales averaged 32 percent.
Sacramento County gun owners, advocates and store owners largely attribute the boom to fear.
Initially, they said, buyers were concerned that the Obama administration would support further gun controls. More recently, Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness announced layoffs of 202 sworn deputies and 40 non-sworn personnel because of budget cuts to his department – further spurring local gun sales.
“I've noticed a tremendous change,” said Ron Herbertson, 47, a Sacramento insurance specialist and gun owner. “I was just in a gun store today – you can't find ammunition, and guns are flying off the shelves. It's hard for them to keep them in stock.”
Herbertson would not say how many guns he has bought in recent months, but he described himself as “well-equipped.”
Between November 2008 and May 2009, 15,993 handguns and long guns were sold in Sacramento County, and 314,201 were sold statewide.
“There has definitely been a dramatic increase in consumer desire for firearms and ammunition,” said Chuck Michel, attorney for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, a 45,000-member organization that promotes firearm safety and gun rights. “It is motivated primarily by a fear of what ill-conceived gun laws the Obama administration might propose, but it's also attributable to a fear of a rise in crime from a bad economy and less money for police.” Read more »
Source: Sacramento Bee
