Wednesday, January 12th 2011, 4:00 AM
Sloan/AFP/GettyA Glock 19 9MM pistol, similar to what Jared Lee Loughner used to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Wednesday, January 12th 2011, 4:00 AM
Sloan/AFP/Getty
A Glock 19 9MM pistol, similar to what Jared Lee Loughner used to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But some took the tragedy as a call to buy arms.
Arizona gun store owner Greg Wolff told Bloomberg News he has seen sales of the Glock pistol surge since Loughner used the gun to attack Giffords.
"We're at double our volume over what we usually do," Wolff said this week.
He credits the boost in sales to the fact that some gun buyers fear the shooting will lead to stronger gun control legislation.
"When something like this happens people get worried that the government is going to ban stuff," Wolff said.
That concern may be a valid one. Members of Congress, like New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, have pushed for tighter laws in the wake of the attack.
McCarthy argued this week for legislation that would ban the type of gun magazine Loughner used in the shooting, which let him fire off 33 rounds before reloading. When he did run out of ammunition, heroic bystander Patricia Maisch was able to grab the magazine before he could reload.
FBI figures obtained by Politico show that gun sales in Arizona and other states shot up by significant percentages in the aftermath of the shooting.
In Arizona, one-day gun sales went up 60% Monday, just two days after the shooting, as compared to the same Monday in 2010.
And across the country, gun sales were up 5% over last year.
High on the list? The very model of Glock pistol Loughner used in the attack, which was also used by school shooter Seung-Hui Cho in 2007 during his massacre at Virginia Tech, which killed 32 students.
Gun sales skyrocketed after that shooting as well, according to federal records.
"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," Don Gallardo, a manager at Arizona Shooter’s World in Phoenix, told Bloomberg. He predicts handgun sales will continue to grow this week.
Though Wolff called the shooting "horrible," he said the coverage has also likely boosted the Glock's profile.
"It's in the news now. I'm sure the Green Bay Packers are selling all kinds of jerseys today as well," he told Bloomberg. "I just think our state embraces guns."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2011/01/12/2011-01-12_giffords_shooting_causes_gun_sales_to_skyrocket_in_arizona_some_buyers_looking_t.html
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