Gun Sales Still Shooting Through the Roof

Obama and the Democrats continue to stimulate the gun and ammo economy:

Four months after the election of President Barack Obama, firearms and ammunition sales in Tulsa remain at a fever pitch.

Popular self-protection ammunition is often sold out at local stores, weapons are flying off shelves and the state reports an 87 percent increase in concealed carry permit applications for February 2008 over February 2009.

"People are hoarding. They're creating a shortage," Jim Prall at Sports World on 41st Street said of ammunition sales. "We've sold more ammunition in the last three months than we sold last year."

Gun sales spiked in November with the election of Barack Obama and Democrats adding to their majority in Congress. But local gun dealers say the spike is turning into a steady climb with political worries about gun rights as well as worries about the economy and potential for increased crime.

Prall said his store planned ahead for the increase, having seen a similar spike after Bill Clinton was elected, but the previous jump in sales pales in comparison to what's happening now.

"Most we're selling now we got back in September, but we bought pallets then where normally we wouldn't have ordered that much."

The surprise sales come with .380 caliber semi- automatic pistols. A relatively small self-protection weapon, it's not one that people typically fire in great quantity at the firing range, Prall said. Yet, the ammunition is now hard to find. "Nobody would have predicted that," he said.

"What's happened is everybody is afraid because the Democrats are anti-gun," said David Stone, president of Dong's Guns and Ammo on East Admiral Place.

Let me tell you, if it was possible to get a carry permit in California, I'd have one.

For the record, it is possible but extremely unlikely that one would be granted in California. Unless you can demonstrate that your life is in danger every moment of every day, and that your life might actually be worth saving, sheriff's in CA won't issue a permit. We have a "may issue" law as opposed to a "shall issue" law. In "shall issue" states the state has to prove you unworthy or they must issue a permit. In "may issue" states you're guilty until proven innocent.