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GUN SALES ARE SHOOTING UP

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN

sackerman@tampatrib.com

Published: April 1, 2009

Updated: 04/01/2009 12:11 am

TAMPA Fear has some people turning to guns for protection.

"We're on track to selling twice as many as we sold last year," said Andre Chiasson of A-1 Pawn Shop in Seminole Heights.

Some people are worried about the recession; others think the new president will mean bans on weapons.

Chiasson's store sold about 600 guns in 2008. During the first three months of this year, customers have bought 300. It's a trend statewide and beyond.

Federal and local agencies don't track gun sales. One method of gauging the increase is by looking at new applications for concealed weapons permits. The Tampa Bay area is on pace this year to exceed permit applications from previous years, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The agency received 2,771 applications from Hillsborough County from July 1 to Feb. 28, the most current numbers available. That's an average of about 346 requests a month. For July 2007 through June, the agency got about 312 applications a month; it received just 287 a month the previous year.

Pasco and Pinellas counties also show monthly average increases.

Statewide, records show that 9,788 applications were filed last month, compared with 3,589 in February 2004.
Gun dealers in the Tampa Bay area attribute the spike, at least in part, to the struggling economy.

"People really want to protect what's theirs," said Bruce Kitzis, manager of Shoot Straight Guns & Range near the Florida State Fairgrounds.

He's seeing more first-time buyers and more customers interested in obtaining concealed weapons permits. Shoot Straight recently added a third weekly class to help new owners fill out the cumbersome state application and learn to use their guns - a permit requirement.

The Tampa Police Department, which provides fingerprinting for a variety of license applications, served nearly 1,500 more customers last year than in 2007, with the bulk seeking concealed weapons permits.

"There definitely has been an increase," said forensic unit manager Jim Contento.

But so far, he said, fears that crimes such as robbery will increase as the economy sours aren't proving true. Department statistics show that Tampa's overall crime rate is down.

Gun buyers, however, have another worry - perhaps even more pressing, Kitzis said.

With a Democrat back in office, "there's a fear of more regulation, bans and taxations. There are a lot of rumors out there," he said.

President Barack Obama hasn't called for sweeping gun control legislation, but gun owners are preparing for the worst. In recent months, ammunition has grown scarce and prices are starting to jump, dealers say.

At the Vets Surplus Store in Lakeland, a box of ammo that used to sell for $10 now goes for $17.99.

"A lot of people are asking about ammunition," said Robert Kauffman of the Brandon Army Navy store, which doesn't sell weapons.

Some people are stocking up for "just in case," said Mike Dunlap of Headquarters Military Surplus in North Tampa. "People are noticing more that we're not invincible. They want to be better prepared for emergencies - hurricanes, natural disasters, things we really should've been prepared for all along."

Researcher Melanie Coon contributed to this report. Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144.

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