MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - Gun sales are up all across the country, including the Mid-South. According to the Tennessee Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security, more than 100 people filed for gun permits this past weekend. The TBI reported a 30 percent increase in July background checks for people wanting to buy guns compared to last year. People buying guns told abc24.com that politics and the Colorado shootings are playing a huge role in gun sales.
Gun shop owners say they've been especially busy this week. One gun store in Olive Branch, Mississippi sold more than a dozen firearms Wednesday.
"You can never be too drastic with protection,” said gun advocate Craig Carter.
Carter was at the "Gun Exchange" in Olive Branch because he wants to protect his family. He bought a semi-automatic rifle.
"I’m here shopping for an AR-15, mainly out of fear that if Obama gets re-elected that'll be one of the first he outlaws,” said Carter.
The TBI reports so far in the month of July, about 906 background checks are being processed a day compared to last July, averaging 714 a day. Do not confuse that number as the total number of guns purchased. TBI says one person can buy multiple guns but only needs to file one background check.
"It’s a simple process for the law biding citizen,” said Gun Exchange owner Jeff Duncan.
He says there are strict federal laws already in place to buy a firearm. It's just hard to predict what anyone is capable of after buying a firearm, like the accused Colorado movie theater shooter, James Holmes. He's accused of killing 12 people.
"You had a rare occurrence where one deranged individual spoils it for the law-biding citizen,” Duncan stated. “You can't control the actions of a person once they've legally purchased a firearm just like when someone drives a car into a crowd of people."
That's why Craig Carter isn't taking any chances.
"It's an extremely sad situation in Colorado. Unfortunately, more than likely it'll happen again but in my home I want to be as ready as I can be to protect my family,” said Carter.
According to the latest ATF statistics 1,856 people in Arkansas filed for firearm permits in May 2012 and slightly fewer in Mississippi with only 1,410 permits.
