Mass Shootings, Talk of GUN CONTROL May Trigger Rise in Gun Sales

http://www.cnn.com/US/9908/12/rush.to.arms/

August 12, 1999, Web posted at: 7:38 p.m. EDT (2338 GMT), From Correspondent Gene Randall

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House and gun control advocates see Tuesday's shooting at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles as fresh evidence that new gun control laws are needed.

But does all this talk of gun control, ironically, trigger even more gun demand?

Some critics of the gun industry say yes. Tom Diaz, author of the book "Making a Killing," says gun sellers make the pitch that "you better get your gun now (because) next week, next month, next year may be too late."

For example, in 1994, when Congress approved a ban on a number of assault weapons, there was a boom in sales. Jeffrey Roth of the Urban Institute said that during the period when the ban was being debated, there was essentially an extra year's production of the soon-to-be outlawed weapons.

In 1994, average annual sales of the AR-15 -- which officials say was part of the arsenal of Los Angeles shootings suspect Buford Furrow -- jumped from 38,000 to 66,000.

Fear for safety motivates some sales

There is another possible factor in the uptick in sales. After seeing saturation coverage of mass shootings, some people buy firearms out of fear for their own safety and the safety of their families.

"We need to send a message to the criminal element that we're fed up, this is not going to be tolerated anymore, we're not going to be disarmed victims waiting for their predatory activity," says Lawrence Pratt, executive director of the Gun Owners of America.

But gun control advocates say the gun industry exploits the public unease triggered by mass shootings.

"After an incident, the gun industry deliberately markets firearms that they, in many cases, call 'fear guns,'" Diaz said.

-- gun run (sales@will.increase), August 13, 1999

Answers

watch September October November December gun sales will go through the roof, stampede to beat the controls and the criminals and the Y2K looters

-- wyatt (locked@loaded.ready), August 13, 1999.

Once again, the illegal guns, carried illegally, and used for a crime PROVE the need to pass MORE laws to make them even MORE illegal.

Reality disconnect here?? The laws on the books, designed to prevent this did NOT WORK. MORE are going to be successful???

DUHH!

C

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), August 13, 1999.

I'm going to the gun show in Houston this weekend to get yet MORE guns for my collection. Paperwork, no problem, I only buy when there isn't any. The only way to go. Guns will be worth their weight in gold (or more) the way the facists are going....

-- Buffalo Bob (buff@hal.com), August 13, 1999.

Anyone got any thoughts on the goof that shot the Jewish kids. He claimed it was a wake up call to start shooting Jews. I still don't get it. If he was serious about a wake up call why would he do everything wrong, hurt little kids etc. Seems to me that all he succeeded in doing was garner sympathy for the Jewish community. And give the commies more ammo to disarm USA.

Yes, I know he must be wacked but it still doesn't make sense.

-- freeman (freeman@cali.com), August 13, 1999.

Freeman,

There is no way to make sense of the actions of mentally disturbed or sociopathic people. Psychology has been trying to figure this out for years.

Chuck,

I agree with you. It just seems that government programs seem to get things exactly wrong a lot of the time, maybe even most of the time. Studies in states that have relaxed the concealed carry laws for qualified common citizens have seen reductions in street crimes. Another study that asked muggers if they were more cautious around people that "might" be armed said: "Duh, sure we are more careful about mugging anyone that looks like they might have a gun on them, Duh!"

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), August 13, 1999.

does anyone know where i can get info on gun shows within a few hours drive of Montgomery County Maryland? or of any up-coming shows? not only for the paperwork, but i'm hoping they might be a little cheaper too.

-- sarah (qubr@aol.com), August 13, 1999.

Wake up folks!

The bozos in charge DO NOT WANT GUN LAWS TO WORK.

It's part of a larger design....total confiscation DEMANDED by the American DOLT as the more laws they pass, the more they obviously fail.

Like 200,000 laws on the books now have stopped criminal gun usage.

Whats a few more?

The more sensational laws they pass which THEY KNOW WON'T WORK, the more it will be drilled into the public's head that all these gun laws are useless, and that what will ensure their "safety" is a drastic outlawing of private firearms ownership.

Look for most urban idiots to demand confiscation and bans as more dramatic kinds of shootings like the ones in L.A. rise in intensity and frequency.

This is because Americans fail to realize that the reason we have these heinous problems increasing today, is a moral and spiritual void in our culture...not because we need more gun laws.

I have yet to see a firearm pick itself up and shoot someone.

But that's what Americans believe today. Because a gun is there...it's an evil magnet that hypnotises those that hold it into shooting some innocent kids.

We are reaping the fruits sown over the last 35 years.

Just wait. You haven't seen anything yet.

-- INVAR (gundark@sw.net), August 13, 1999.

I haven't seen too much written on these threads about the current FEDERAL LAWS on the illegal use of guns.

There has been between 250,000 and 300,000 federally reported abuses of these laws and our JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS PROSECUTED ELEVEN of them.

Let me restate that.

Our JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT PROSECUTING KNOWN FEDERAL GUN LAW CRIMES.

Please tell me why we need more gun control laws, when they REFUSE to prosecute the crimes at hand???????????

Do I need to tell you why?

-- OR (orwelliator@biosys.net), August 13, 1999.

Notice that the man in Atlanta shot the people in the two firms he visited. But first he had killed his wife and children horribly with hammer bludgeoning and drowning in the bathtub. But no one is seeking to curb the sale of hammers or the use of bathtubs! The kids in Colorado had not only guns but many bombs with them. Yet guns take the blame for crime in America. As you all have said, it is just an excuse to take away the guns from the law-abiding citizens, because the other sort will always have them. Look at Australia! Don't tell me our lawmakers don't know about the fiasco there since the guns were taken from law-abiding people. The future frightens me...

-- Elaine Seavey (GOds1sheep@aol.com), August 13, 1999.

freeman- The piece of dirt that shot those kids is not a wacko. He is a HATEMONGER. Like it or not he is representitive of a small but growing group of people in this country who are looking for someone to blame for their lot in life. Gun control will do nothing to remedy the situation because the hate is inside them and they will find a way to wreak havoc any way they can. Guns or no guns.

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), August 13, 1999.