Posted on 09/22/2005 9:24:13 PM PDT by neverdem
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- People in Louisiana rushed to purchase guns in the chaotic days of looting and lawlessness following Hurricane Katrina, according to law enforcement officials still trying to track down thousands of other weapons that were lost or stolen.
The increase was sharpest in the days immediately following the hurricane, according to FBI criminal history background checks on prospective gun buyers.
The 13,256 checks requested in the first 12 days of September were nearly as many as for the entire month a year ago. FBI officials, careful to avoid being drawn into the politically hot topic of gun ownership, would not speculate on the reason for the increase.
People seeking to arm themselves following a disaster is nothing new. More guns were bought nationwide, and more permits to carry concealed weapons were sought, after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"In this case, people realized that the police simply were overwhelmed. They had too much to do trying to rescue people and couldn't protect citizens. What should people do when they have to fend for themselves?" said John Lott, an American Enterprise Institute gun policy expert.
Several gun merchants interviewed by The Associated Press said televised reports of looting in New Orleans fed the spike in gun purchases, as residents of Baton Rouge and other communities flocked to gun stores telling of the need to protect themselves.
"There was a fear of the unknown," said Frank Pirie, owner of Bowie Outfitters in Baton Rouge. "You have to understand that the restaurant people, the store owners were out of business. Well, the drug dealers and thieves were out of business too and they had to relocate somewhere."
The population of Baton Rouge has nearly doubled since Katrina, adding to fears of its permanent residents, Pirie said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
See LIBS.., Americans did learn some good lessons from Katrina.
Better late than never.
The wisdom of the Founders is revealed yet again.
BTTT
Awesome. John Lott is now an AP go-to expert. The times they are a-changin'..
I feel somewhat guilty for not having purchased a "hurricane" gun since Katrina. Maybe I should go pick up that Dan Wesson 1911 I've been eyeballin'.
I think it would be great if each of those new gun owners was offered a discount on the price of the firearm or a free box of ammo if they signed up for an NRA membership while filling out the other forms.....
Tell the misses it is your patriotic duty.
See if it works for you... I didn't get far with it :)
That's what I thought, but I forgot to make the comment. 8^(
Wait! Does this mean that the bad guys wont be the only ones with the guns?!?!?!
The Horror!...: ) <<< me
I already have an early blued, fixed sight version that is a sparkling performer. I really need the stainless, adjustable sight gun to park next to it in the safe.
Is there a waiting period in LA. In Calif it's 2 weeks for any gun...
I thought Dan Wesson went out of business.
I doubt it.
"I thought Dan Wesson went out of business."
They did, twice. Failed the first time in 1989, resurrected in '90 and failed again in '94. The plant, tooling and other stuff were purchased in '95 but were too worn out to be used so the guy that bought it (Bob Serva, I think) moved to New York and started over. Never cared much for their revolvers but the pistols they currently are putting out are second to none.
I liked the revolvers which let you switch to different barrel lengths as you please. I thought the .357 was especially versatile.
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