Gun purchases have “skyrocketed” since Barack Obama became the president-elect, reports the Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen.
Background checks for potential gun buyers requested last week were up by 48 percent over the same week in 2007, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The number of checks requested last month, when an Obama victory began to look likely, were 15 percent higher than the amount requested in October 2007.
“Guns are just going out the door like crazy,” Donna Cassity, an Arizona representative for the National Rifle Association, told the Tucson paper. “They can’t order them fast enough. People are in a panic at this point.”
Obama has said that he’s a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and that he won’t take away residents’ guns. He has indicated support for “common sense” gun regulations. The NRA endorsed Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in the presidential election, despite its harsh criticism of McCain’s support for campaign finance reform.