Posted on 09/12/2001 6:55:28 AM PDT by chuknospam
Gun and flag sales peaked across Central Florida as defiant, fearful residents rushed to arm themselves Tuesday and display their patriotism.
Many were first-time buyers, some not even knowing how to load their weapons.
By 4 p.m., Buck's Gun Rack in Daytona Beach had sold 9,000 bullets -- at least 400 percent above an average day -- and more than 10 rifles and shotguns.
"It's like a hurricane. You may have four cans of tunafish at home, and you still go out and buy more," said Forrest Buckwald, co-owner of the store.
"Today, everybody bought."
The same sense of urgency spurred sales at M&M Flags and Banners in Longwood.
"By Friday there won't be no flags left in the country," said owner James Knapton, who ordered $20,000 of U.S. flags by late afternoon. "When this stuff happens, they just sell, bare out to the walls."
Still, ammunition outsold the Stars and Stripes.
"It's a concentrated Y2K situation that started since we opened up this morning," said Khaled Akkawe, who sold more than 100 assault rifles and shotguns through his two Shoot Straight gun stores in Apopka and Casselberry.
Most sales reported across the region involved rifles and shotguns, which don't require a three-day waiting period. But the state's three-day wait for handguns didn't appear to deter anyone.
"To me, it seems rather fruitless that they're buying them. But, still, I think it's the frustration people feel," said owner Chuck Love, a former Marine and owner of Love's Gun & Pawn in DeLand.
"They want to do something, so that's what they're doing -- they're buying guns."
Gun dealers said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported a big surge Tuesday in requests for mandatory criminal-background checks for potential gun buyers. FDLE workers would not comment.
At Shoot Straight in Casselberry, Liam Cuddy, 36, of Chuluota bought a $300, 12-gauge shotgun, one of 35 sold by midafternoon.
He grew up around terrorism in Dublin, Ireland, but he never considered owning a gun until he watched the World Trade Center topple.
"I didn't have a gun in the house until today," said Cuddy, who lives on five acres with his wife and 8-year-old child. "This has really shocked me."
At the opposite end of the counter, Syed Hassab Qadri, 23, a day trader who lives in Maitland, was buying a handgun.
His colleagues working at a branch office of Momentum Securities on the 83rd floor of the World Trade Center almost certainly died in the attack. And fear about an anti-Islamic backlash in Central Florida prompted law enforcement to provide security for his mosque and its religious leaders, he said.
"I had been planning for a couple of weeks to get a gun," Qadri said. "But because of today's events, I decided not to wait."
In Kissimmee, the walls of Gun Land were all but stripped bare. Up to 40 people crammed into the tiny gun shop on Orange Blossom Trail.
It was the busiest day ever for a business specializing in assault rifles and handguns.
By late afternoon, Gun Land's supplier announced its warehouse was empty. There were no more guns for sale, said Ben Woodall, 51.
The run started with the first TV broadcasts of the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
"Anytime something like this happens, this happens," said Ted Bickish, manager of Rieg's Gun Shop & Shooting Range in Orlando. "It's people panicking."
The pace was much slower in Mount Dora, where the A.W. Peterson Gun Shop has been in business since 1957.
"I wouldn't say we've had a panic -- fear of invaders hitting the shores," said co-owner Steuart Baker, who sold only one deer rifle all day.
At shop after shop, dealers said their customers were somber throughout the day.
"Nobody's freaking out," Buckwald said in Daytona Beach while selling 500 rounds of ammunition. "It's more a 'What if everything breaks down?' "
Denise-Marie Balona, Anthony Colarossi and Willoughby Mariano contributed to this report. Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5411. Doris Bloodsworth can be reached at 407-420-5411 or dbloodsworth@olandosentinel.com. Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel
Proud of Ya! Keep it flying for our Military !
I just heard that there were about 107 killed at the Pentagon -- Not the 800+ reported previously. Thank God.
I don't like that. I like that people are buying, but I sure hope these people have at least basic training.
We have always been 2A supporters, though we had not ever owned a firearm. We had talked about getting one, we just never made time or money for it before.
We figured it was time. My husband is familiar with the care and use of weapons and I will learn.
I ask, who else is there? Everybody insults you?
Are you trolling for hate to be cast your way?
Do you hate yourself and that is why you write this way?
You are spreading dissent at a time our whole country needs to be pulling together to bind up the wounds we have suffered. And it seems you are trying to make more suffering by throwing salt in the wound.
Do I misunderstand you?
Don
I can remember those same Mujahadeens putting U.S. shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to good use against Soviet air support . .
That war could have had a different ending -- It wasn't decided by home-made bolt action rifles !
This may be a delayed response to Janet Reno's announcement that she wants to be Governor.
Some wise men warned us to "beware foreign entanglements" and actually wrote the words, ".....the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
But, like most things they tried to tell us, we ignore. I'm sure, once again, we will ignore Franklins words also, something to the effect of, "Those willing to give up a little freedom in exchange for a little security, deserve neither."
Can you remind the class which "war mongerer" has been busiest dropping bombs over the last several years?
And the defense budget has been cut to Carter-esque levels already. Enough is enough.
And it doesn't make a person less of an American for pointing a finger at our own government as part of the cause for what happened yesterday. I took a lot of heat for saying so last night (I think I may have been the first person on FR to bring it up), but we in our role as Police Officer to the World are really chafing a lot of people in other countries.
I ask, who else is there? Everybody insults you? Are you trolling for hate to be cast your way? Do you hate yourself and that is why you write this way?
Can we agree on the above as "insults?"
"You are spreading dissent at a time our whole country needs to be pulling together to bind up the wounds we have suffered.
By "pulling together", do you mena by chance: confirming and consolidating around our federal governments Imperial international crusades, (bombing for bombings sake, perpetual war for perpetual profits- Iraq, Serbia, Sudan, Chinese embassy....)
Embracing our Governments bloodthirsty policies which have brought this hatred upon us, and guarantee to elicit more and deadlier responses from the families/countrymen/friends of those we BOMB?
" And it seems you are trying to make more suffering by throwing salt in the wound.
What I'm trying to do is point out, that we can't bomb, and then expect not "to be bombed". We can't kill, and expect not "to be killed." I repudiate "our" governments tyrannical, genocidal bombings around the world, (in my name) and hope others do too, and then maybe we'll stop, and maybe people the world over wont' have so many reasons to hate us, if we stop killing people just because we can, and posess fatal arrogance.
Do I misunderstand you?
I don't know, do you understand that Islama ben Laden is getting better, his strikes are becoming better focused, more lethal (extremely), and it's just a matter of time before he visits us, using "American" citizens who are already inside the "missile defense boondoggle shield", with nukes?
Do you understand that I'm trying to prevent the next bin Laden hit, which will or could be vastly superior in power to this one?
Spend your tax-rebate on guns and flags!
"Can you remind the class which "war mongerer" has been busiest dropping bombs over the last several years?"
Bill Clinton and his foriegn policy equal George HW Bush for starters. George W. is carrying on Daddies proud tradition, gleefully bombing Iraqies, for reasons which are not apparent to me. (I'm not a blood-thirsty war-lover)
"And the defense budget has been cut to Carter-esque levels already. Enough is enough."
I guess we should beef up the "defense" budget.
We could kill a whole lot more Christians over in Serbia, "defending" ourselves of course.
What a foolish statement to make. Has Bush bombed anyone in retaliation yet? Let's follow your advice. Cut the military budget down to nothing, and sit at home, unarmed, waiting for peace. Yeah, that will work. Sure.
"What a foolish statement to make. Has Bush bombed anyone in retaliation yet? Let's follow your advice. Cut the military budget down to nothing, and sit at home, unarmed, waiting for peace. Yeah, that will work. Sure."
Our current Bush has been bombing Iraq (And spraying Colombia with XXchemical agaents)like bin Laden never could bomb anybody. And if you want to quote, rather than twist, my advice it's this:
"Cut the military budget down to %SWISS LEVELS%, and sit at home, (yes-bring all our troops home) unarmed, (UNARMED?- WHAT AN ODD THING TO SAY:WELL-ARMED AND WITH A WELL ARMED POPULACE/MILITIA TO SUPPORT THE "TROOPS") waiting for peace (NO- WAITING FOR ANY invader who wanted to try us) And certainly not off bombing Moslems in Iraq, Christians in Serbia, pharmacists in Sudan, and peasant farmers in Colombia. And making enemies by killing people all over the world who then knock down some of our favorite buildings they hate us so much.
Next time they'll use nukes bright boy, then you might "see the light."
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