AP: 17eac9ed-f8b9-4afd-897d-d376d16c4a3c
Randy Hodges holds a firearm at the Gun Vault in High Point N.C. Monday July 23, 2012. Issues of gun sales, especially assault rifles and large amounts of ammunition, have come into the forefront since a single gunman entered an Aurora, Colo., theater shortly after midnight Friday and began firing indiscriminately at men, women and children. (AP Photo/The Enterprise,Sonny Hedgecock)

King County gun applications rise following Colorado massacre

BY Brandi Kruse  on July 25, 2012 @ 3:01 pm (Updated: 10:05 pm - 7/25/12 )

Applications for pistol licenses rose dramatically in the wake of the shooting rampage at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater Friday. In King County, more than double the number of applications were processed on the Monday following the massacre than the same day a week earlier.

Forty-one people applied for a Concealed Pistol License on Monday, July 23, compared to 19 on Monday, July 16. The number of gun sales also rose from 90 on an average Monday to 115 the Monday after the shooting.

The King County Sheriff's Office called the increase "drastic."

"Call it a fear if you want to, this is a natural reaction people have," said Dave Workman, a gun rights expert and senior editor of GunWeek.com. "All over the county this is going on."

Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, and California all processed more gun-related background checks in the past several days compared to similar periods, according to the Associated Press.

In Colorado, the site of Friday's massacre that claimed 12 lives and left dozens more injured, background checks were approved for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm - 25 percent more than the average Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 percent more than the same interval the week prior, the Associated Press reports.

"People here just don't want to take the chance of being in the same situation," Workman said. "People have also been seeing the stories of increased gun control and possible measures over the horizon, so they want to take care of the paperwork before anything happens."

Nationally, the shooting has triggered a fierce debate over gun control and whether government has a role in reining in the ownership of firearms.

Gun sales often fluctuate based on news events, especially when people think the passage of more restrictive gun laws is imminent. Sales spiked following the election of President Barack Obama, when weapons enthusiasts expressed fear that the Democrat might curtail gun rights. FBI figures also show background checks for handgun sales jumped in Arizona following the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011.

"It's not uncommon for us to see spikes in requests for concealed pistol licenses when there's a significant gun-related tragedy," said Sgt. Cindi West of the King County Sheriff's Office.

Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress cited the shooting as evidence of the need for tougher gun control laws - particularly a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. Congress, however, hasn't passed strict legislation in more than a decade.

MIKE BAKER and KRISTEN WYATT of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (26)


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  • shark75 wrote...
    This ought to drive the left around the bend
    July 25, 2012 4:55 pm
    Americans exercising their constitutional rights. I’m not sure what it is about this that makes the left uneasy (the fact that 100% of these guns will never be used in the commission of a crime), but I have a feeling it is the same reason why they are against freedom of speech for anyone to the right of center. (Read: it, um…pardon the expression ”shoots holes” in their argument for gun control)
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  • daveismenotyou wrote...
    shark
    July 25, 2012 5:09 pm
    I would be careful about this one. There are many on the left who are not anti-gun. That is why this issue has been put away long ago. It only pops up once in awhile when some loony lefty goes and kills people again. May he rot in hell. The fringe lefties who use this as an agenda item can go pound sand.
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  • Qballrail wrote...
    It's Been Said
    July 25, 2012 5:18 pm
    That we have enough gun laws on the books but they only need enforcing. Also, the Dems shouldn't fear the law-abiding public so much if they just did their freaking jobs! Take guns away from citizens, criminals take over. Simple.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Go get em....
    July 25, 2012 5:21 pm
    You can hear the collective Liberal scream.... HaHaHa!
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  • Snout wrote...
    "drastic?"
    July 25, 2012 5:26 pm
    Nice choice of words. People want to defend themselves. We don't want to start gunning down other people. But if some gang banger, terrorist, or looney tune wants to start something, then some people want the ability to put a few rounds back range.
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  • Witchwood wrote...
    Reporterette
    July 25, 2012 6:34 pm

    Many states require that citizens obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm. Washington State does not. Concealed Carry license is not synonymous with gun permit.

    Personally, I could care less whether the local cop thinks my choices drastic, absurd, or superfluous. Here's a word cops should learn when it comes to their own opinion of the 2nd Amendment: irrelevant

    .
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  • SeattleD wrote...
    I just hope they are all buying semi-automatic weapons
    July 25, 2012 6:55 pm
    They'll need them to protect their families' in the movie theater. After all, next time it might be two guys wearing full suits carrying FULLY automatic weapons (that is if the NRA can get those legalized).
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  • shark75 wrote...
    The King County Sheriff's Office called the increase "drastic."
    July 25, 2012 6:59 pm
    When seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Fact is for King County, it may be more than a few minutes before you see a deputy. Last I heard there were two sheriff's cars patrolling 70 some-off square miles. Probably less than that since the cuts becuase they have so much money to spend on social kr*ap programs that there's no money for emergency services or police. Thank you Ron, and now Dow. Prycks.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Same thing happened when Obama was elected, it is fear....
    July 25, 2012 7:03 pm
    but not fear of crooks. Fear that current events will result in more restrictive gun laws.

    The gun fans can all relax. The NRA secretly, no- maybe not secretly at all, runs America by determining who can hold or retain elective office.

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  • Witchwood wrote...
    Chucky
    July 25, 2012 7:34 pm

    The NRA secretly, no- maybe not secretly at all, runs America by determining who can hold or retain elective office.

    If only that were true, what a paradise this country would be. ;)

    People are certainly afraid that the federals will come and take their guns away. They take their rights seriously. Why don't you?

    People also fear for their own safety in a country increasingly given over to thugs. People like you love to mock gun-owners for their "fear," as though good liberals are untouched by fear. We know what you're doing. Guess what? When two journalists confronted a mob of "youths" who were throwing rocks at their car and were both beaten for their trouble, they felt fear. They survived, though, so they were lucky. Many people have refused to propagate the cycle of violence and wound up cold and dead, sometimes after awful violation. Turns out that thugs prefer unarmed victims.

    So spare me all this talk of fear. If I put you in the middle of one of these charming "flash mobs", you'd need a change of undies.

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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Witchwood, you need to stop and use the clutch before you shift into reverse...
    July 26, 2012 7:48 am
    Your attack post is hilarious.

    First you agree with my premise, that gun fans are fearful that incidents like the Batman massacre or the election of Obama might restrict their ability to buy as many weapons as they want.

    Then, after agreeing with me that gun owners "fear" more restrictions, you start off on some personal rant that ends up with you fantasizing about my "undies".

    Take some of that hatred and anger and put it into the empty bottle you use for an icon.

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  • shark75 wrote...
    Hey Chuck, take the colander off your head
    July 25, 2012 7:25 pm
    And unwrap the tin foil and copper mesh from around your house…you can sell it to finance your meth problem.
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