Gun sales in the Chattanooga area are surging in the wake of the July 16 attack that killed four Marines and one Sailor.
The surge comes amid what had otherwise been a “slow” summer of gun sales in the area.
According to News Channel 9, the buying spree began just hours after news of the Chattanooga attack broke. Carter Shooting Supply co-owner Kristi Manning said, “Thursday night, it immediately changed. It was honestly insane. I’ve seen it before. I’ve been doing this for 16 years, so I’ve seen it in the past where something tragic happens and people kind of panic and want to feel secure. And that’s what happened.”
Manning said the attack caught everyone unaware and renewed a focus on personal safety. She said, “We’re gun carriers, we’re the South, we’re Tennessee. We tote guns, we carry guns, we carry several guns. You’d never think it would happen here, but it caught us off guard.”
In addition to personal safety, New Channel 9 reported fears that the attack will be used to justify more gun control also contributed to higher sales.
Over the past weekend alone,Carter Shooting Supply sold “15 AR-15 rifles, 40 guns and 70 to 80 people signed up for the permit class.” Shooters Depot “sold 89 guns in two days, and 289 people signed up for the handgun carry permit class.”
Tennessee resident Michael Brown said, “You’re never going to take the guns out of the bad people’s hands no matter what you do, so I feel like we need to arm ourselves, and be prepared. I feel like if there were more people that had arms, there would be less crimes. I may be wrong but that’s what I think.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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