Gun Sales Shooting Up Around Bay Area
Shanna McCord
Story Due: 10-23-01
It’s [wfw1]Friday night and in the Bay Area that means many people are unwinding from a long week of work. That could be dinner at a four [wfw2]star restaurant, hitting one of the dance clubs scattered between San Jose and Marin County or simply staying home. For the 30 or so people hanging out at Jackson Arms, a gun shop and indoor shooting range in South San Francisco, they’re looking down the barrel of a semi-automatic with one eye on the paper target hanging in front of them.
It’s well past 9 p.m. and the range is packed. “There’s no doubt, we are definitely busier since Sept. 11,” the range [wfw3]master said. Proving his point, hHe [wfw4]adds, “I haven’t had a day off in the last month.”
Before the terrorist hijackings of Sept. 11, Jackson Arms had 80 people a day using its range and that was considered busy. In the last four weeks, managers say the daily count has jumped to 200 or more.
And they say sales are up 300 percent from this time last year. “Just the other day I had a guy in here who slapped down his credit card and bought five[wfw5]-thousand dollars in different guns[wfw6]. He got a handgun, a rifle and another handgun.”
That may be considered extreme to some but the scenario is similar in other shops. Only 15 minutes down busy El Camino Real the road from Jackson Arms is Tabor’s Shooters Supply in San Bruno. Located on busy El Camino Real, Tthe gun shop has seen the same surge in business as the shooting range. The top shelf of the glass- enclosed case usually stays stocked. On this particular weekend afternoon, only one small revolver sits on the first shelf. “Before Sept. 11 things were slowing down,” Tabor’s [wfw7]owner said.
Managers at both Jackson Arms and Tabor’s agree that the one driving motivator for this recent increase in [wfw8]people exercising their Constitutional right tied to the Second Amendment is fear[wfw9].
Fear of the unknown and the endless possibilities associated with terrorism have hundreds of people shopping for the extra security that comes with owning a gun[wfw10]. Tabor’s owner says some customer comments remind him of the same hysteria surrounding the beginning of the year 2000, nicknamed Y2K[wfw11]. “When people realize there’s nothing real to be afraid of our sales will probably drop off and we’ll actually have some return their purchases.”
The Palo Alto Police Department says it’s not surprised by the proliferation of concern and [wfw12]paranoia brought on by the barbaric [wfw13]attacks of Sept. 11. What worries them is that most gun shoppers in the last month are doing it for the first time in their lives. “Buying a gun on a whim is a bad idea[wfw14]. That means you usually don’t have sufficient training or storage”, Lieutenant Brad Zook said.
Not only are people buying guns, they’re also requesting concealed weapon permits to carry them[wfw15]. “While we usually have four or five in one year, we’ve had about five since Sept. 11,” Zook said.
This recent rush on guns doesn’t mean the situation [wfw16]is considered out of control. The police department is very selective in who qualifies for a concealed weapon permit. While anyone is allowed to keep a gun in their place of business, their residence or private property, the California penal code law requires a permit for anyonepeople [wfw17]carrying a gun with them or in their car. Getting [wfw18]caught with a gun and no permit is a felony.
Palo Alto Police Chief Pat Dwyer, who’s responsible for granting gun permits within the city, will not issue someone a concealed weapon permit unless there’s a proven bona fide threat. Zook says, “Permits are not issued for the reason, ‘I’m afraid’.”
Those behind the counter at the different gun shops aren’t exactly rushing to put a gun in a first-timers hand. A couple who came looking to buy a gun for the woman because of her supposed [wfw19]terrorism fears was talked out of making an immediate purchase. While it would be easy to take a [wfw20]“quick sale”, sales [wfw21]clerks are encouraging people to give serious consideration to buying a gun and they recommend training classes.
In the opinion of many law enforcement officers, the less fewer guns out there the better. “Anytime there’s one extra gun out on the streets, it’s a concern,” Zook said[wfw22]
Editor’s note: I thought this was an excellent story. It’s a great subject right now and it’s clear you got out there to do the reporting. It read nicely. It was interesting. The story was well-organized. .I wanted attribution and no editorliazing. Work on simplicity, that is, allowing your quotes and facts to work for themselves instead of telling people what they mean.
[wfw1]1This is a nice, easy readable lede. I liked its conversational tone and it sets the up nicely.
[wfw2]1Here I’d prefer something like “dinner out” to the four-star restaurant, which is out of range for most people. Dinner out includes dinner anywhere for everyone who relaxes in a restaurant.
[wfw3]1Name here would make this a lot better.
[wfw4]1His quote makes the point. The readers are bright enough to figure this out for themselves that he’s proving his point. No need for you to tell them.
[wfw5]1AP style. That’s $5,000.
[wfw6]1Who’s speaking? Are we still at the range? If not, you need to move us to a gun shop or whatever.
[wfw7]1Once again, we need attribution or a reason why the speaker is anonymous.
[wfw8]1Don’t editorialize. This reads as if it were from an NRA press release.
[wfw9]1
[wfw10]1Can you attribute or source this or is it simply your guess?
[wfw11]1Very nice quote.
[wfw12]1This is a medical diagnosis that we’re not qualified to make. Be careful about slinging around words like paranoia, schizophrenic, manic, etc.
[wfw13]1Easy does it. Everybody understands it was barbaric, savage, unspeakable, etc.
[wfw14]1Put the attribution at the first possible break in the quote.
[wfw15]1This highlighting was meant for the following quote, which is very good.
[wfw16]1What situation:? This is too vague.
[wfw17]1Anyone is singular, the later pronouns “them” and “their” are plural. Keep the singular-plural construction consistent by using the word “people.”
[wfw18]1It’s not a felony until you’ve been convicted by a court, which comes after getting caught.
[wfw19]1Rather than casting doubt on how she actually felt, simply say something on the order of the couple coming in because the woman said she was afraid of terrorism.
[wfw20]1No need to put quotes around this. Also, when you do use quotes in such a situation, put the comma inside them, thus: “quick sale,”
[wfw21]1Awkward, following directly after aale.
[wfw22]1|Another nice quote.