New data from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) shows that gun sales skyrocketed following the December 2 San Bernardino terrorist attack.
In that attack, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik used two legally purchased handguns–and two rifles that had been legally purchased by a friend–to shoot and kill 14 people during a Christmas party. Californians “rushed” to gun stores thereafter.
According to KPCC, the CA DOJ reported that “requests to buy guns statewide” were 1,000-a-day higher than they had been in 2014 for “nine of the ten days following the December 2 terrorist attack.”
This resulted in gun sales for December 2015 surpassing sales in December 2014 by nearly 20,000 guns.
Vince Torres, who owns the Bullseye Sport gun store in Riverside, said, “Due to the circumstances in San Bernardino, you’re averaging fifteen, twenty people all day long. You’re working in sixth gear, going 100 miles an hour, trying to help every customer that comes in.” Torres said his business had been slowing down prior to the attack; “then December came and all the things went straight up vertical—to double.”
Gun sales overall were down in California for 2015 versus 2014, but they were up in Riverside and San Benardino counties. In fact, the CA DOJ shows that handgun sales have more than doubled in Riverside and San Bernardino since 2010.
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