Hot Item Of The Shopping Season Not What You’d Expect

Gun owners decided to end the year with a bang, making this season’s gun sales the highest they’ve ever been.

Gun sales skyrocketed, breaking records in November, and numbers have already increased in December with a few days left to go.

“We always have a little increase in sales because of the holiday season,” Guns of Distinction owner John Halcomb said.

Nationwide, this is more than just a little bit. This Christmas, more people than ever before bought guns.

New numbers from the FBI showed that nearly half a million instant background checks for gun ownership were done in the six days leading up to Christmas.

Because of those who buy more than one, an exact number of guns sold isn’t clear. Public feelings are, though.

“If there are no guns, people won’t be shooting people. So I think easy access to guns is the reason we have so many deaths,” Tony Kahman said.

“I think as long as they’re tracking who’s buying the guns, it’s not a problem,” Yvonne Idros said.

The National Rifle Association released this statement: “With prisoners being furloughed and law enforcement officers being laid off, people are concerned for their safety. That is why they want to ensure their ability to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

“I think it’s kind of expected in view of a lot of the shootings, with people just walking into beauty salons down in Laguna Beach here not too long ago, all over the country,” Greg Thompson said.

Buying a gun isn’t easy, though.

“They have to go through a background (check). We take all their information, copies of their identification. They leave their thumbprint. There’s a 10-day waiting period. It gives the opportunity for the Department of Justice to evaluate to see if they are prohibited or not from having a concealed weapon,” Holcomb said.

He added we haven’t seen the end of climbing gun sales.

“The Second Amendment is a big issue right now in the U.S. I think a lot of people are a little concerned about losing their ability to purchase a firearm,” Holcomb said.

For anyone who shudders at the thought of an increase in gun sales, one gun owner hit the bullseye.

“I don’t see the gun as the problem. It’s a tool. The brain is the weapon,” Thompson said.

For more information on the National Rifle Association, visit their website, www.NRA.org.