Following the deadly rampage over the weekend that left six dead , including a nine-year-old girl who was coincidentally born on September 11th, gun sellers have reported a very large increase in sales of the style of firearm used by the gunman.
The Glock 9mm pistol Jared Loughner used to shoot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords , Federal Judge John Roll and several bystanders costs $499, and the owner of two Glockmeister shops in Mesa and Phoenix says the outlets have seen “double our volume over what we usually do.” Another local shop owner says fear of tightened gun legislation is sparking a fear of reduced access in those interested in owning a legal gun:
“Whenever there is a huge event, especially when it’s close to home, people do tend to run out and buy something to protect their family,” said Don Gallardo, a manager at Arizona Shooter’s World in Phoenix, who said that the number of people signing up for the store’s concealed weapons class doubled over the weekend. Gallardo said he expects handgun sales to climb steadily throughout the week.
The idea of cracking down on extended magazines like the one that allowed Loughner to fire nearly three dozen shots without reloading has been part of the fiery national debate since the shooting, and the clip he used was illegal under a federal ban on certain weapons that expired back in 2004. According to Bloomberg, gun deaths in Arizona are one and a half times the national average.
