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Gun sales rise
After Virginia limit dropped
Thursday, August 9, 2012
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS -
RICHMOND — Gun sales are up in Virginia following the repeal of the state’s long-standing one-handgun-a-month law.
Firearm transactions rose by 17 percent in July compared to June, according to the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center said. The limit was lifted July 1.
Firearm transactions in July totaled about 29,000, up 29 percent from 22,547 transactions recorded in July 2011.
The recorded transactions do not reflect the actual number of guns sold. They are only the number of times a registered dealer conducts a background check on a buyer. Guns sold privately without a background check aren’t included in the total.
NOVA Firearms owner Dennis Pratte said his business’ multiple handgun sales have risen 20 percent to 30 percent since the limit was lifted.
“We see a lot of husbands and wives come in and buy two guns at a time, but maybe the husband puts it all on his card. Primarily, it’s family members, or people buying pairs or match sets of revolvers. It’s more of a convenience for the law-abiding citizens,” Pratte told The Washington Examiner (http://bit.ly/Qe2sKN ).
The law was enacted in 1993 to curb the trafficking of guns from Virginia into the Northeast.
“The greatest fear is that you’ll have an increase of straw purchases and we’ll return to our status as the No. 1 gun-running state in the country,” Del. Mark Sickles, D-Franconia, told the newspaper. “I’m not worried about the people that value their right to carry guns. I’m worried about people that are out of control like we’ve seen the last few weeks.”
