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U.S. flags, guns sell briskly (Americans Taking Up Arms!, my title)
Orlando Sentinal ^ | September 12, 2001 | Henry Pierson Curtis and Doris Bloodsworth

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events
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To: ALL OF YOU THAT THINK WALMART HAS SUSPENDED FIREARMS/AMMUNITION SALES
I purchased plenty of ammunition yesterday at a local WalMart (1600 EST) that I needed anyway for deer season. Clerk said sales were brisk all day and that

NO ORDER HAD COME DOWN TO SUSPEND SALES OF FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION.

PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE TIN FOIL...

61 posted on 09/12/2001 11:00:45 AM PDT by Abundy
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To: patlaw_guy
It sounds like you have the shotguns covered.

Glocks are nice, very ergonomic. 9mm doesn't have much stopping or penetration power, though. .40 cal(Glock 22/22C) has just enough stopping power without too much kick. IMHO, I believe stopping power is the most important measurement for personnal defense. Nothing(IMO) beats the .45 ACP round in that field. The best guns at firing that round are the Desert Eagle and the Colt 1911. Aesthetically, the Colt is hard to beat. Although, they do require a little more maintenance than Glocks.
62 posted on 09/12/2001 11:05:56 AM PDT by BJClinton
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To: patlaw_guy
Glock 9mm or Springfield 1911?

Either! Both are great choices.

I'm a Glock guy myself, but you ought to try them out at a range before you buy one. Guns are like cars in that they depreciate in value as soon as you take possession. You can lose 20-25% on the "used" market just for buying the gun and taking it to the range once, only to discover that it doesn't suit you.

63 posted on 09/12/2001 11:10:03 AM PDT by John R. (Bob) Locke
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To: chuknospam
"...Gun and flag sales peaked across Central Florida as defiant, fearful residents rushed to arm themselves ...."

I challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein to again make her public statement---"...if I had 51 votes, it would be, 'Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them in.'...."

64 posted on 09/12/2001 11:19:21 AM PDT by gatex
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To: patlaw_guy
Glock mod.30 is a .45 cal. (I'm kinda biased) and they have a new .45 out now, a mod. 36, I believe, but it carries a couple rounds less than the mod.30
I would suggest you stick with at least that caliber.

My company closed at noon yesterday and sent all 530 of us home early.
On my way home, I did stop at The Sports Authority to pick up some more ammo and when I looked up at the empty 25 to 30 gunracks, I asked the clerk what was up.
He said that they had been called by the Home office and told to put all of the weapons back into the Safe???

They were still selling ammo, though.

65 posted on 09/12/2001 11:20:40 AM PDT by mod.30
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To: christine11
your post bears repeating. "Thank God"
66 posted on 09/12/2001 5:38:48 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
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To: mod.30
Any place that won't sell arms in a time of national crisis, are peckerwoods, and don't deserve your business.
67 posted on 09/12/2001 6:57:47 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
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To: KO5A
For sale brand new glass bottom lake,where afganistan USE TO BE! ANY QUESTIONS?
68 posted on 09/12/2001 7:42:34 PM PDT by GREY GHOSTt
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Comment #69 Removed by Moderator

To: brewwiz
I think the airlines should pass out weapons to the passengers, and have a shooting range at the airport for practice while you're waiting.
70 posted on 09/12/2001 9:58:06 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
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To: KO5A
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.

What a great idea! Mind our own business. Wish more people would come up with that. And while we're at it, let's stop funding both sides of the fence and keep our stolen tax dollars at home where they belong.

71 posted on 09/13/2001 7:24:41 AM PDT by Superhawk
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To: GREY GHOSTt
"For sale brand new glass bottom lake,where afganistan USE TO BE! ANY QUESTIONS?"

Why yes I do have a question Mr. tough talk. After Moslama bin Laden recovers from his fits of laughter after our upcoming impotent smart weapons strikes on Afgan, after his Islamist buddies get up off the ground from days of uncontrollable guffawing at our weakness, and HE NUKES US because our stupid, innefectual cowardly bombings do in fact kill some ininvolved citizens, human beings in Afganistan, which upsets Mr. bin Laden, as the WTC bombings evidently upset you Mr. tough talk and your clones on this thread. After he nukes NYC, DC, and LA, and you and I lose our lives or some of our closest relatives, how tough are you going to be then?

72 posted on 09/13/2001 7:39:49 AM PDT by KO5A
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To: wjcsux
Why thank you for that fine compliment my fellow wjc hater.

I guess you "hate" Mr. C., but as long as he's bombing Christian Serbs or Islamic Iraqies in our name, why you just get behind him all patriotic like huh?

And when the "bombing" which you love as long as we're doing it, becomes payback, why you just gety all surprised like. Imagine those Islamics! Don't they know they're supposed to shut up and enjoy it when we bomb them? They're not supposed to hit back, we are the bullies right? We're supposed to be the tough guys here huh?

73 posted on 09/13/2001 7:51:11 AM PDT by KO5A (Cowardice is shameless, and without mercy)
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To: KO5A
The line in the sand has been drawn...decide where you will stand...
74 posted on 09/13/2001 7:52:40 AM PDT by SurferDoc
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To: wjcsux, but his bombing I support 100%, crowcreak
That reminds me:

"I can remember those same Mujahadeens putting U.S. shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to good use against Soviet air support . .

bin Laden's got access to Stinger missiles (after all, we equipped him with Stingers ourselves). He can use them anytime, anywhere, any reason.

I guess we better bump up the tough talk huh?

75 posted on 09/13/2001 7:58:24 AM PDT by KO5A
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To: chuknospam
bttt
76 posted on 09/13/2001 7:59:45 AM PDT by Don Myers
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To: KO5A
The first ones we should stop funding are those who celebrate the murder of innocent men women and children


If your buddy Bin Laden was really concerned about the USA meddling where we don't belong, then why didn't he use his millions to educate the American people rather than kill them?

Maybe he enjoys killing them more?

Do you really think that giving in to the demands of these servants of satan will appease them?
77 posted on 09/13/2001 8:00:29 AM PDT by MI
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To: Wm Bach
Here's some tough talk:

"Your towelhead buddies who attacked us are going to die. There's no particular glee in it. It's just a fact...just cold, unwavering determination. Like the Orkin man when sprays your peaceful little cockroach friends...

No, in fact, if you watch what happens in the days ahead, we are going to miss bin Laden, but we will kill unknown numbers of Afgan persons. This will upset Mr. bin Laden, as the killing of American persons upsets you. (of course Moslems are good for killing, so they are not entitled to resent thier countrymen/Islamic brothers beign killed?)

And bin Laden will respond with an attack that makes 9-11 look like a friendly gesture, after that please return to this thread (IF DC and FR still exist) and remind me about that bit...."just cold, unwavering determination."

78 posted on 09/13/2001 8:06:11 AM PDT by KO5A
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To: TexanaRED
Thank you for the funniest post of the day:

'"I think Mr. Quadri was outfitting for a differerent reason.""

"Oh for heaven's sake, GROW UP!"

Yes, you are morally superior to me, more mature than I, help me "grow up!"

Invoking Heaven are we, Christian?
Celebrate with me fellow Christian the destruction of Churches in Serbia, (courtesy of Uncle Allah) the abandonment of Churches in Maryland and Pennsylavania, (that I know of), and the erection of huge Mosques in Suburban Maryland. A true Christian like you rejoices at the diversity which Islam brings! What cultural enrichment. (who needs those pesky churches anyway?)

"There are thousands of Muslims that do not condone what SOME RADICAL Muslims did yesterday. They don't condone it and are just as heartbroken as the rest of us."

I saw those heartbroken Moslems in Palastine: overcome with grief they were. The Egyptians expressed their condolences with the comforting words: "Direct hit!"

"It's time to stop painting all people of a particular race, color, religion, etc. with the same brush. Let's point the finger at those that are GUILTY and not harbor hate and bitterness against those of the same race, religion, color, etc. that had NOTHING to do with it

If we hate ALL Muslims, Palestinians, Arabs, etc. because of the actions of a radical few, we are just as bad as those that are filled with hate for us."

Cry me a river.
Admit that you celebrate the death of Christendom.
Gloat a little. You won.

79 posted on 09/13/2001 8:16:04 AM PDT by KO5A (ALLAH AKBAR!! DEATH TO CHRISTIANS!!!)
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To: Superhawk
"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."

"What a great idea! Mind our own business. Wish more people would come up with that. And while we're at it, let's stop funding both sides of the fence and keep our stolen tax dollars at home where they belong. "

It's not my idea BTW. It's George Washington's idea. I guess that's why so many people around here really hate it.

80 posted on 09/13/2001 8:23:41 AM PDT by KO5A (like wjcsux?)
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