It’s come to be expected: Each massacre like the mass shooting in Orlando Sunday brings an uptick in gun sales.
Buyers haven't flooded Atlanta gun shops yet, some local owners say, but they also say it could happen, depending upon how political leaders react to the deadliest mass shooting in American history, by a man wielding an AR-15. Americans may fear the government will restrict purchases of the military-style rifles.
“Any time there’s discussion of rifles, ARs in particular, we see people get a little more nervous about what the government might legislate,” said Ken Baye, an owner of Stoddard’s Range and Guns, with locations in Atlanta and Douglasville.
There was only a slight uptick in sales at his stores Sunday as news of the murder of 49 at the Pulse nightclub spread. Other owners reported similar lackluster demand. "None whatsoever," is how Rusty Morris, owner of The AR Bunker in Newnan put it. "We have not had an uptick," he said. "We have not had more calls." He said he spoke with several other owners who made the same observation.
That could change in coming days, though, depending upon the political rhetoric. “The time we get a jump in sales is when the president or Hillary starts talking about gun control,” he said, referring to the likely presidential nominee.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did raise the issue Monday, pushing during a speech in Cleveland to curtail the availability of assault rifles.
Morris said webinars for gun shop owners are warning them to stock up before the Democratic convention, when Clinton is expected to become an official nominee for the White House.
Some of the biggest periods for gun sales appear to have followed notorious massacres, when politicians cranked up the volume on the gun ownership debate.
The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System doesn't register every sale but the number of checks recorded since 1998 is widely considered an indicator of sales volume.
Some of the biggest weeks for these checks came after 14 people were killed in a workplace act of terrorism in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2, 2015. More than 3 million checks were performed that December and early January. A similar surge occurred in the weeks after the Dec. 14, 2012 slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
During those periods, President Barack Obama called for greater restrictions on gun ownership.
Tom Deets, the president and managing partner of SharpShooters USA in Roswell, said he hadn't seen a jump in sales since the Sunday shootings, but said it could happen depending upon the political reaction.
“The joke in the industry is President Obama has been the greatest gun salesman in history,” the former DeKalb police officer said.
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