Local gun sales brisk since Paris attacks, Black Friday shooting
Gun stores in the Colorado Springs area report strong sales since the terrorist attacks in Paris and last Friday’s fatal shootings at a Planned Parenthood clinic.
On the same day of the Black Friday shootings, the FBI processed a record 185,345 background checks for firearms — a 5 percent increase from a year ago.
The previous record was 177,170 on Dec. 21, 2012, a week after 26 people died in the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut.
The FBI stopped short of linking the recent shootings to the single-day record in background checks, saying only that checks usually increase on Black Friday, around Christmas and after mass shootings.
The number of background checks has risen steadily since 2006, the FBI said.
Some experts said the increase in background checks is a result of more people buying guns not just for protection or enjoyment, but to make a political statement that guns are not a problem and should remain legal and unregulated.
According to The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, and the Brady Campaign, Colorado has a 28.5 rating for strictness of gun laws. The rating is higher than many states but ranks behind states such as California, Illinois and New York.
Ava Flanell, a firearms instructor who owns Elite Firearms & Training in Colorado Springs, said November was the busiest month since she opened three years ago.
“I’m selling more guns,” she said. “I’m also teaching more classes and the classes are getting bigger. It’s hard to keep up with.”
Flanell said her students are people learning how to handle a gun for the first time, and gun owners who want to become more proficient for protection or in case they confront an active shooter.
However, gun owner Jon Nordby advises against civilians taking such action, regardless of training level.
“Everyone with a concealed-carry permit needs to face and come to grips with the understanding of what it really means to pull that gun out in that kind of situation,” he said. “Until you get there with your training and your understanding of that, you shouldn’t even be considering it. Do what you can to help others and let the professionals handle a shooter.”
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said it’s seeing an increase in people making appointments to apply for concealed-carry permits.
Flanell said visibly wearing a gun may not necessarily discourage an active shooter or other criminal.
“It can draw attention to yourself,” she said. “You might run into trouble when you normally wouldn’t. Display a gun, or use it, only when absolutely necessary.”
