ST AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Bob Perry closed up his St. Augustine gun shop Wednesday night after a long day which began with customers lined up outside his door.
"It was a madhouse," said Perry, who has owned Shooting Sports Pro Shops for seven years. "It was as busy as I've ever seen it."
Action News spoke with managers or owners of a half-dozen local gun shops. Each one said they've seen a significant increase in sales recently.
Perry says about 40 percent of his recent customers had never before purchased a firearm.
"They're concerned that some of the things they're interested in may not be available. It's repeated over and over. Every day we hear that," said Perry.
President Obama's scheduled announcement which included 23 executive orders addressing gun violence became the latest occasion to spike weapons sales. Gun shop owners say recent events have provided proverbial shots in the arms for their businesses.
"Once the election completed, we saw a significant step-up," said Perry, "Then immediately after the tragedy in Connecticut, things really took off."
Perry keeps detailed records and just compared recent sales to last year. He says sales the past six weeks are up 10 times over what they were during the same period a year ago.
