Monday, October 05, 2015

US mass shootings prompt surge in weapons sales

US mass shootings prompt surge in weapons sales - FT.com:
"Business has been brisk for Larry Hyatt, owner of Hyatt Guns in North Carolina, since the Oregon community college shooting last week that left 10 people dead, including the 26-year-old suspect.
Mr Hyatt saw an even bigger surge in customers after the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that left 26 people dead, including 20 children, before the gunman killed himself.
After that incident, President Barack Obama made his first major push for stricter gun laws. 
In the wake of the Oregon shooting, Mr Obama on Friday again urged Americans to challenge the powerful gun lobby, saying he could not do it alone.
However, the calls for tighter gun laws lead to an increase in weapons sales.
“Once the public hears the president on the news say we need more gun controls, it tends to drive sales,” said Mr Hyatt, who owns one of the largest gun retailers in the US.
“People think, if I don’t get a gun now, it might be difficult to get one in the future. 
The store is crowded.”
...Gun sales this year could surpass the record set in 2013, when gun purchases surged after the December 2012 Sandy Hook murders..."

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