Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411210081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
State police approved more handgun purchases in the past four months than during the same period last year, according to records kept by the state Firearms Transactions Unit.
Ten out of 14 cities and counties in Southwest Virginia experienced increases in the number of legal handgun purchases approved between July and October.
The largest boost was recorded in Roanoke, where 252 more transactions were approved than last year. From July to October 1993, the unit cleared 1,088 potential gun purchases in Roanoke. During those four months this year, state police approved 1,340 transactions.
Only gun shops in the city of Bedford and Craig, Patrick, and Pulaski counties had fewer purchases approved this year than last year in those months.
Licensed gun dealers and gun show exhibitors are required by law to seek state police approval when customers want to purchase firearms. The dealers must contact employees of the Firearms Transactions Unit in Richmond, who conduct instant background checks to ensure that the potential buyer meets all federal and state standards. The unit has maintained records of the approvals granted since July 1993.
The statistics are not a perfect indicator of how the gun business is faring because someone can pass the background check and choose not to buy the gun, state police point out. That is a rare occurrence, though, and most area dealers said the numbers jibe with their experiences.
"I feel like business is up," said Mike Hodges, owner of Shooters Discount Warehouse in Daleville. "My sales are up over last year at the same time."
Robert P. Tully owns On Target Inc. in Roanoke. "Yes, I'd say sales have been up," he said, "but there are specific reasons for that."
Harsher federal gun laws regularly create anxious buyers, the dealers said.
"People feel they will no longer be able to purchase certain types of firearms. Last fall there was the signing of the Brady Bill, and we saw a rally in purchases," Tully said. "Then came hearsay about an increase in taxes on ammunition and that produced another series of panicked buying."
The latest surge came in August, when Congress passed the federal crime bill.
A certain amount of increased business is standard, said Lt. George Crowder of the Firearms Transactions Unit.
"Since the implementation of the firearms transaction program in 1989, there has been an increase of about 11 percent, across the state, from year to year," he said.
Nonetheless, state police have traced patterns that relate gun sales to public and government debate.
"The unit has experienced surges in volume just prior to the handgun restrictions that went into effect in July 1993, the signing of the Brady Bill and the federal crime bill," he said.
Not just new handguns are moving fast. George Witten, owner of Hunting Masters in Blacksburg, said his store usually carries a lot of used guns, but not lately.
"Used handguns are hard to get these days because of the new laws," he said. "People are holding onto them."
Keeping the shelves stocked with reloading supplies and ammunition has been difficult, too.
Inundated with business, the Federal Ammunition Co. has stopped accepting new orders for the first quarter of 1995, Tully said.
Raymond Dean, who owns Dean's Guns and Sporting Goods, said it used to take three or four days to get ammunition shipments by mail. Recently, he has experienced delays of as long as 16 weeks.
"They are in demand," Dean said. "I suspect a lot of people are loading up, stockpiling."
The boom in business isn't likely to last, however. Donna Tate, who tracks records for the Firearms Transactions Unit, said so far November approvals have leveled off.
"The volumes have stabilized again," she said. "We are not experiencing any increases this month."
And no matter what the statistics say, some local gun dealers are convinced they are headed for trouble.
Gun dealer Glenn Nester, who owns G&G Guns in Christiansburg, said the run on guns is only short-term.
"It's a spurt thing," he said.
He looked up for a minute from his task at hand - cleaning a Marlin 30/30 hunting rifle.
"You want to know how business is," Nester said. "It's rotten, and I can thank Bill Clinton and the Roanoke Times for that.
"This is my living, not some sort of hobby. Every time they pass legislation, they take food off my plate."
by CNB