Hartford Business.com
May 18, 2008
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Gun sales in Connecticut jumped sharply after three members of a Cheshire family were killed in a brutal home invasion last summer, and they continue to run about 20 percent above last year’s rate.
Steve Laschever
Gun shop owners now say a second home invasion in March in New Britain, where a parolee shot two elderly women, killing one, during an attempted robbery, may be a tipping point as worried homeowners scramble to arm themselves.
“Those home invasions were the worst things in the world,” said James Cummings, owner of Center Sports in Columbia. “But it is the best thing for my business.”
J.D. McAulay, owner of the Connecticut Gun Exchange in Milford, said customer traffic rose noticeably after both crimes, but especially after the most recent one.
“We have had first-time buyers looking for protection that have no idea about the process or that there is a process,” McAulay said. “They don’t know they need a permit for a handgun or that they need to take a course.”
In the first three months of 2007, 16,651 guns were sold statewide. In the first quarter of 2008, that number jumped to 20,101. More guns were sold in the first three weeks of April than in the entire month last year.
The monthly reports of gun sales from the state Department of Public Safety show a spike in gun purchases beginning early last fall. That was just weeks after two parolees invaded the Petit family home in Cheshire, killed three and burned the house to the ground.
From May to September in 2007, statewide gun sales had reached 5,000 only once.
From October to March, the lowest total was 6,185 in February. And that figure for February was 25 percent higher than a year earlier.
Crime Bill
While the home invasions have prompted the General Assembly to pass a $10 million crime bill — which Gov. M. Jodi Rell threatened veto for budget reasons — residents are taking personal steps.
“(Gun sales) are starting to go up because people are scared,” said Scott Hoffman, owner of Hoffman’s Gun Center in Newington and president of the Connecticut Association of Firearms Retailers.
The tag line for Hoffman’s store is “Guns For The Good Guys.”
His store has focused more on defense weapons than hunting rifles. He said the media coverage of the home invasions has pushed his sales higher.
“It’s unfortunate that it takes a tragedy, but that is usually how it works,” Hoffman said.
All three gun store owners declined to discuss the revenues their businesses generate.
But Hoffman and Cummings noted shifts in their customer base and growing interest in pistol permit courses.
Hoffman said he used to hold his pistol course every other week. Now it’s held weekly, and there are waiting lists for a month’s worth of classes.
Cummings, who’s sold guns for 26 years, said he’s used to serving hunters looking for rifles but that his new clientele is a different breed.
Elderly seek permits
“Instead of the hunters, we get a lot of older people, older women, coming in for the (pistol) class,” he said.
“I don’t think an old lady wants a pistol permit to hunt,” Cummings added.
Shotguns are also favorites for those looking to protect their homes. For one thing, they’re less complicated to obtain.
Pistols require coursework, a 90-day wait and about $200 in miscellaneous permit and training costs.
The wait for a shotgun is about two weeks.
More menacing looking semi-automatic assault rifles, knockoffs of the M-16 or AK-47, are also increasingly popular.
Hoffman noted the ammunition is cheaper compared to other calibers because they are used by the military and lots of companies manufacture them.
Threats of potential state or federal bans on assault rifle sales may also add to their appeal, Hoffman said.
Politics is definitely a factor in rising gun sales, he added.
“Politicians have been my best salesmen for 20 years because people want what they can’t have,” he said. “They are afraid their rights are going to be taken away.”
Hoffman pointed to a possible change in gun policy coming from the next president in 2009 or other legislation from the state Capitol.
Two bills referred to the state judiciary committee this year would have required firearm manufactures to micro-stamp all guns with information and engrave ammunition with serial numbers.
NRA in action
In response, the National Rifle Association put out a call to its constituents.
A March press conference on the issue drew eight executives from gun manufacturers and two trade associations.
Both pieces of legislation eventually died in committee, as the companies argued they would force factories out of state and cost the state jobs.
Those opposed to gun violence, specifically the non-profit Connecticut Against Gun Violence, want to prevent the flow of guns purchased legally from reaching the hands of criminals.
“As long as dealers are following state law, we don’t really have a comment about increasing gun sales,” said Lisa Labella, executive director for CAGV.
“We respect the rights of law-abiding gun dealers and owners. We don’t believe that a gun is the best form of home defense. We would prefer more security systems instead.”
To gun store owners like Hoffman, the vast majority of customers are looking for the most effective way to protect themselves from awful crimes.
“It’s handguns now,” Hoffman said. “It was probably swords 500 years ago. And it will be something like a phaser 500 years from now. People want to feel safe, and maybe they don’t right now.”
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