Fear prompting rise in Auburn gun sales?

[spin]

Safety courses good idea, residents, lieutenant say
12/10/10


Billy Prior, of Auburn Outdoor Sports, inspects a SIG Sauer semi automatic handgun Tuesday. Prior said the store’s gun sales have doubled in the last two years, and new customers seem to be buying them for protection.

Fear of home invasion and personal safety are leading more Auburnites to buy guns, but residents have mixed feelings about gun ownership.

Billy Prior, of Auburn Outdoor Sports on High Street, said he has definitely seen an increase in gun purchases.

“It’s been happening for the last two years,” Prior said. “Sales have probably doubled. There has not been a recession in the guns and ammunition industry at all. Most of it is personal defense guns.”

Prior said he is also seeing a trend in specifically who is buying the guns.

“It seems like they are all new gun owners, too,” he said. “They are new people in their 40s and 50s who have never owned a gun. I’m going to say eight out of 10 handgun purchases are new gun owners, and out of those eight, six are women.”

***snip***

“The police can’t be everywhere at all times,” he said. “Desperate people do desperate things. I just think it’s being proactive. There is not a lot of money out there, but people still want their guns.”
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/166836.html

Note: The Auburn Journal is a California newspaper.

[Hoopla Phil]

1. Why do you carry a gun? "Because I can't carry a cop."

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Katya Mullethov]

7. That was some really good ammo too

Did you get catch that one before it got away ?

[old mark]

2. I think this is pretty much correct here in PA, too - Hunting guns sit on the racks,

hadguns and defensive type weapons sell rapidly. I also see more women in gun shops than I ever have before. I am interested in older guns, especially old revolvers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries - they sit on the shelves, and do not sell often - but more modern type handguns don't last long, even though they are quite expensive now...

Note that many areas are cutting the number of police because of the economy - while crime for money is increasing, and more people feel a need to defend themselves and their homes.

Rec.

mark

[onehandle]

4. Note: Republican City in Republican County.

Fear is a Republican Value.

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. Are Republicans the only victims of crime where you live?

Or do you claim that only Republicans arm themselves?

You conflate preparation with fear. I think armueller2001 said it best:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x350673#350746

...Why is "preparation" always equated to "fear"? I don't have paralyzing fear of getting into a car accident with or without a seat belt, but I wear one to be prepared for an emergency. I'm not trembling in fear about my house catching on fire, but I have a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, and insurance just in case.

[Katya Mullethov]

6. People that have never heard a 170 MPH gust of wind

Are the same way during hurricane evacs . Especially if they have previously been through an evac for a storm that fizzled out . Watching them strip the frozen food section is an eye opening and life changing event . If you're paying attention .

[spin]

8. Been there and seen that ...

Why people would stock up on frozen food prior to a hurricane amazes me but I have watched it happen.

I buy beer.

[spin]

9. The interesting point is that so many women are now buying firearms ...

At one time most women seemed to fear firearms. Now I keep reading reports from all over the country that say that a high percentage of gun buyers are women.

Women are finally waking up to the fact that the only men they need to protect them is Mr. Smith and Mr Wesson or perhaps Mr. Colt.

[jazzhound]

10. A gal that I work with was talking on her cell phone a

couple of weeks ago to a friend in a conversation that I couldn't help but over-hear. The women were apparently making arrangements to meet for the first time at the local firing range. I reached into my wallet, pulled out my range ID and handed it to her as she continued talking. This encouraged a laugh, and a brief disruption in their conversation as she told her friend what had just transpired.

As it turns out, she didn't much care for the experience. To each their own. Her friend was less put off by the recoil and report -- and apparently is planning to continue shooting.

Nearly half of the staff at our range is female. The last time I was in, one of them was counseling another woman on the features of a semi-auto she had recently purchased. Recalling your daughter's experience, it would have done your heart good to witness this, spin! :)

[spin]

11. My daughter considered becoming a firearms instructor once ...

When she took her concealed weapons course, the instructor tried to interest her in working with him. He felt a female firearms instructor would greatly increase his business.

It's a shame she didn't hire on. She not only had experience shooting but also had a martial arts background with around eight years in judo and jujitsu. Right now she's a substitute school teacher and the way she describes the classes, I think she would have a lot more fun teaching a concealed weapons class.

I think I'll mention the idea to her again.

edited for spelling

[jazzhound]

12. My sister was the victim of a sexual assault.

I think I've mentioned it once before in this forum. Under mid-level, and sometimes even low-level stress she completely freezes. This of course makes her a very poor candidate for self-defense with a firearm. In the case of the attempted rape, however, it served her -- as she was unable to comply with the rapists demand that she undress. I won't go into great detail beyond this point, but suffice it to say that the dirtbag had to take solace in self-gratification.

I have nothing but admiration and respect for women who choose to defend themselves with firearms, and pursue the appropriate training. As I have complete contempt for the filthy scum who attempt to convince them that they don't have what it takes to attain firearm proficiency, or that self-defense with a firearm is a poor defense.

[spin]

13. I'm sorry to hear about your sister. (n/t)

[jazzhound]

14. Thanks, spin. This was decades ago when she lived

out of state. While she was there, she never told me about the incident for fear of how I'd react. (I was a pretty impulse-driven youngster.)

As far as I can tell there's been no lasting emotional scars.