US gun sales surge after Colorado massacre

The Associated Press:

Firearms sales are surging in the U.S. after last week's Colorado theatre massacre as buyers fear that politicians may use the shootings to seek new restrictions on owning weapons. 

In Colorado, where Friday's shooting killed 12 and injured dozens, gun sales jumped in the three days that followed. The state approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm — 25 per cent more than the average Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 per cent more than the same interval the week prior. 

Jay Wallace, who owns Adventure Outdoors in Georgia, found that his sales on Saturday were up 300 per cent from the same day a year ago — making it one of the best Saturdays his business has ever had. 

He said customers are often afraid when there's a gun-related tragedy that some legislators might try to push through an anti-gun agenda. 

"We shouldn't let one sick individual make us forget and lose sight of freedoms in this country," Wallace said. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. 

Some Democrats in Congress cited the shooting as evidence of the need for tougher gun control laws — particularly a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Congress, however, hasn't passed strict legislation in more than a decade, and leaders in Washington show no sign of bringing up such measures any time soon. 

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