STEPHENS CO., Okla_ Gun dealers
across Stephens County
say business is booming after the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Sam Siebert
owns a gun shop in the town of Comanche
and said in the past two weeks, customers have been pouring in. He said Christmas
is always a busy time for gun sales, but this year is different. He said the
threat to ban assault rifles after the tragic Sandy Hook
school shooting has more customers than ever coming in to buy guns.
One salesman said
his sales are about 200% higher this month than they have been the last few
months. Others said they're concerned about whether their right to buy guns
will be taken away.
Sam Siebert said
a steady stream of customers have been coming into his shop to buy guns.
"I wanted
to get one while I could," said John Williams, a Stephens County Honor Guard
member and gun owner. "As a matter of fact, I just wanted something to protect
my home, my family, and my life. I didn't know if they were going to keep
letting us buy them or not."
"The
government is trying to take away our right to bear arms," customer Darin King
said. "I can't blame everybody for being worried about that. If the law does go
through, and they start going door to door taking people's guns, it's going to
cause a mass riot everywhere. There's no reason for it. We'll have no way of
defending ourselves against weapons."
Siebert said he
and his business are in limbo. He said he's not sure if there will be stricter
gun laws implemented, but he has some ideas.
"I imagine
they're going to try to cut down on the capacity of handguns. In Massachusetts or in California, if you buy an AR, you only get a
ten round magazine and an eight or ten pound trigger. Down in Oklahoma and other states it's different. You
can get a large cap on the magazines."
Siebert said
he's concerned about the effect tougher gun laws could have on his business. His
customers are concerned about possible changes to their way of life.
"They have
some warped belief that if they disarm us, then that will make us safer,"
Siebert said. "They believe we're better off if we don't have anything to help
us defend ourselves. So, what is the message there? That they'll defend us? They
can't defend us now."
Siebert said he is paying close attention to this debate. A few of his
customers said that they believe that our economy could take a hit by putting
more restrictions on the legal purchasing of guns, even forcing some to
purchase them in the black market.
