Louisiana: Gun sales rose sharply
Date: Sep 17, 2005 12:17 PM
PUBLICATION: The Chronicle-Herald
DATE: 2005.09.17
SECTION: World
PAGE: A4
SOURCE: The Associated Press
WORD COUNT: 334

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Gun sales rose sharply

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WASHINGTON – People in Louisiana rushed to purchase guns in the chaotic days of
looting and lawlessness following hurricane Katrina, according to law enforcement
officials still trying to track down thousands of other weapons that were lost or
stolen.

The increase was sharpest in the days immediately following the hurricane, according
to FBI criminal history background checks on prospective gun buyers.

The 13,256 checks requested in the first 12 days of September were nearly as many
as for the entire month a year ago. FBI officials, careful to avoid being drawn
into the politically hot topic of gun ownership, would not speculate on the reason
for the increase.

People seeking to arm themselves following a disaster is nothing new. More guns
were bought nationwide, and more permits to carry concealed weapons were sought,
after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“In this case, people realized that the police simply were overwhelmed. They
had too much to do trying to rescue people and couldn’t protect citizens. What should
people do when they have to fend for themselves?” said John Lott, an American
Enterprise Institute gun policy expert.

Several gun merchants interviewed by The Associated Press said televised reports
of looting in New Orleans fed the spike in gun purchases, as residents of Baton
Rouge and other communities flocked to gun stores telling of the need to protect
themselves.

“There was a fear of the unknown,” said Frank Pirie, owner of Bowie Outfitters
in Baton Rouge. “You have to understand that the restaurant people, the store
owners were out of business. Well, the drug dealers and thieves were out of business
too and they had to relocate somewhere.”

The population of Baton Rouge has nearly doubled since Katrina, adding to fears
of its permanent residents, Pirie said.

Mark Chait, who heads the New Orleans office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, said his agents are less concerned by the increase in legal
gun purchases than by guns that either were looted or lost in the floodwaters. ATF
agents are working with gun store owners to recover weapons.