(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
TMZ – yes, really, TMZ – reported a significant surge in gun sales in Kenosha, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. That shouldn’t be surprising, really, although considering the gun sales spikes we’ve been seeing nationwide it’s a little startling that they can go up even more. But riots and burning buildings are tend to motivate people.
The first gun store they talked to said their sales have been up since Jacob Blake’s death:
Gun and ammo stores in the area are seeing a huge surge in folks trying to buy firearms, with many customers coming from neighborhoods smack in the middle of the unrest.Joseph LaJoy, owner of LaJoy Precision Inc in nearby Pleasant Prairie, WI, tells TMZ … he completely sold out of every handgun, shotgun, and all ammunition after fielding at least 150 phone calls per day in the wake Blake’s shooting.LaJoy says the majority of sales were from people who did not previously own guns or ammo, and they’re looking to protect themselves and their homes.
Then, after the Kyle Rittenhouse shootings:
Meanwhile, at Red Dot in Lake Villa, IL…the gun store manager tells us they sold nearly 100 firearms in a single day this week, and they’re getting close to selling out completely.
We’re told folks were frantic and scared coming into Red Dot, and many became upset when they learned there’s a 72-hour waiting period to obtain a firearm in Illinois.Over at 5 Star Firearms in Zion, IL, the manager, Clinton, tells TMZ … the store is sold out of all rifles, handguns and ammo, and it only took 2 days to clear the shelves.Clinton says thousands of people were coming in … saying they’re looking to protect their businesses and homes. Most customers lived in Kenosha and Lake County, where Rittenhouse is from.A similar scene unfolded at Outdoorsman Sports Shop in Winthrop Harbor, IL, where manager Paul tells us thousands of people flooded the shop this week, cleaning him out of .380 ammo — the bullets used for handguns.
The spike in gun sales fits with the trends we’ve been seeing since March. It’s interesting that TMZ mentioned how many of the new gun buyers were unhappy with the waiting period in Illinois. Just goes to show you that people really don’t understand gun laws or what the rules are until it directly affects their lives.
Also worth noting: since this increase in sales is going through FFLs these are all people who can pass a background check. I only mention this because we know there were felons carrying guns illegally during the Kenosha riots.
If you haven’t purchased a firearm and ammo yet, you’re awfully late to the party. It’s still possible, but will likely take you longer to find what you want and cost you considerably more than it would have months earlier. It’s good to see new gun owners, though, and hopefully more than a tiny fraction of the noobs remain gun owners and become Second Amendment advocates over time.
Do you think that more or fewer guns will be sold now that Joe Biden has announced that he’ll leave his basement in order to visit Kenosha tomorrow?