East Texas Gun Sales Rise with War

03/31/03 – East Texas
East Texas Gun Sales Rise with War

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> War With Iraq
by Alex Carias

The outbreak of war has brought an increase of security here at home. Some

people are arming themselves for security and sales are picking up at some

local gun stores.

Gun shop owners in East Texas say the war in Iraq has some people
concerned
about the possibility of more terrorism here at home, concerned enough
that
they’re arming themselves.

“I’ve heard several people come in and say, ‘I want to be prepared in case
we
have a terrorist attack in Lufkin.’ which to me, I don’t think we will,
but
you never know,” said gun shop owner Bill Pate.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says there’s been a recent jump in
the
number of people wanting information about concealed handgun permits. With

final tallies for March still incomplete, DPS officials already have
stamped
an average of more than 6,000 information packets in the first three
months
of this year.

Most gun buyers are buying small arms like the Glock 19, but there are
some
guns that dealers are having a hard time keeping on the shelf like
semi-automatic weapons, which are being backordered to keep up with
demand.
Also, since the war erupted gun shops are having difficulty stocking
certain
type of ammunition.

“It’s just hard to get. I don’t know what they’re using in Iraq, but the
weapons are probably 76X39,” added Pate.

Pate says their sales are not as brisk as larger cities such as Dallas or
Houston. But with the fear of uncertainty looming, some East Texans who
don’t
already have a gun are taking the step to arm themselves.