Nov 12, 2008 7:56 pm US/Eastern
Gun Sales On The Rise Over Obama Gun Control Fears
All Types Of Firearms Flying Off Shelves As Many Americans Appear Determined To Head President-Elect Off
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBS) ―
-
-
President-elect Barack Obama (file)
Ryan Anson/AFP/Getty Images
Gun sales are on the rise and last week's election may have something to do with it.
Gun enthusiasts say they're worried President-elect Barack Obama's administration and a Democratic Congress will result in tough new gun laws.
Gun shop owner Frank Caso told CBS 2 HD gun sales have been way up since the election.
"Last time I saw this was on 9/11," Caso said. "People were totally scared at that time."
Caso said he's been selling a lot of military-type weapons, like the M4A3 rifle. He also said distributors have been selling out of all sorts of firearms.
Caso attributes his good business to gun enthusiasts' worries that President-elect Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress could try to place restrictions on firearm ownership.
"They know the track record of Obama," Caso said. "They know the track record of [Vice President-elect] Joe Biden."
Obama's record shows he supported an Illinois state ban on semi-automatic weapons, but the president-elect said he is for gun ownership and believes it is protected by the Second Amendment.
One gun enthusiast told CBS 2 HD his purchase had nothing to do with the election.
"Absolutely not," Alan Cohen said. "This has nothing to do with who is coming in or who was in or whether you're a Democrat or Republican. For me being here is just a recreational tool."
In fact, the Ceasefire New Jersey director called the report of an increase in gun sales:
"...hogwash, there may be a slight increase but we don't think there's major increase."
Despite that the FBI said the Bureau has been getting a lot more requests on background checks for people interested in buying weapons.
Many anti-violence groups like the Brady Campaign attribute the increase in gun sales to ads they say the National Rifle Association ran during the campaign.
Those ads depicted Obama as someone who would support a new tax on guns.
The NRA has not returned CBS 2 HD's calls.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths, July-Dec.
Click to enlarge
Boley, Canty Return To Giants Lineup For Chargers 3 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Reporting
