Gun buyers anticipate stricter laws under Obama

While the economy and other issues loomed large for Tom Repp during the presidential election, he's also concerned about how Barack Obama's presidency could impact gun rights.

"We worked hard to get all these rights and don't want anybody taking them away," said Repp, 70, who lives in Medina County but attended high school and college in Ashland.

Gun retailers nationwide have reported an influx of people interested in purchasing firearms. Gun owners and retailers have cited fears that Obama's administration could seek new, tough gun-control legislation.

Although multiple factors likely contribute to an increase, according to the FBI, which conducts background checks of people who purchase firearms from licensed dealers, the number of checks for the week of Nov. 3 to 9 was up 49 percent from the same time in 2007. That continued a growing trend in recent months, statistics show.

Guns have been flying off the shelves at Fin, Feather & Fur Outfitters, according to manager Jake Jacobs. He said firearms sales have increased 600 to 800 percent there in the last year. A variety of customers, including many first-time buyers, purchased firearms leading up to Obama's election.

"The day after the election, it just flat broke loose," Jacobs said, adding many customers are interested in obtaining semiautomatic military-style rifles.

Demand for guns manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms, whose Beemiller Inc. parts and service center is in Mansfield, has remained "steady" during Obama's campaign, according to Charles Brown, president and CEO of MKS Supply, the company in charge of sales and marketing for Hi-Point. He added there hasn't been an increase since Obama's election, but Hi-Point is "selling everything we've been able to make."

Regulations similar to the 1994 assault weapons ban passed under President Bill Clinton concern Mike Winkelmann of Brunswick. He said such regulations could signify "the first step" toward a crackdown on gun rights.

"(Obama) says he's not going to do anything with firearms. Time will tell," said Winkelmann, 48, while shopping last week at Fin Feather & Fur. He added that he's more concerned about Democratic majorities in Congress than Obama.

U.S. Rep.-elect John Boccieri said gun owners in the Ohio 16th Congressional District -- which includes all of Ashland County except the northern six townships -- can trust that political affiliation does not dictate his stance on the Second Amendment. Boccieri, the first Democrat elected to the 16th District since 1948, said he backs Obama but believes enforcing existing gun laws is more effective than creating new ones.

"I reject that notion that because you affiliate yourself with a member that may have a different position other than yourself that somehow that should inject fear," said Boccieri, who earned an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association for his support of gun rights as a state legislator.

Many customers at Fin Feather & Fur cite "fear" that gun-control legislation will be enacted as reasons for buying firearms, Jacobs said.

That's a concern to Bill Ferguson, 59, of Ashland. A Vietnam War veteran of the Marine Corps, he said individual firearms ownership is an essential freedom and integral part of American heritage.

"The Minuteman was the founder of the Continental Army and the Marine Corps ... ," Ferguson said. "Even (George) Washington said 'Where would we be without the Minuteman?' "

Some believe the buzz about restricting firearm ownership is hype. Doug Pennington, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said Obama is not a threat to the Second Amendment.

He cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Washington, D.C., handgun ban as evidence that gun rights are not at stake under Obama. Pennington said the economy and other issues likely will take precedence over gun control in the Obama administration.

"While it will be a part of his agenda, he has some really pressing problems to deal with right now," Pennington said.

Obama said he supports the Second Amendment, but said "common-sense" measures, such as state and local restrictions on firearms, are acceptable. As an Illinois state senator, Obama supported a ban on semiautomatic firearms and verbally supported a 500 percent increase on an excise tax on ammunition. During his legislative career, he has generally favored tighter restrictions on gun ownership, including verbal support for the 1994 assault weapons ban.

Obama's record on gun rights makes him a threat, according to the National Rifle Association, which has more than 4 million members. During the president-elect's campaign, the NRA said Obama would be "the most anti-gun president in American history."

NRA Director of Public Affairs Andrew Arulanandam said his association will fight all anti-gun regulations that could come from an Obama administration. He cited Obama's support for gun registration as evidence of what could come.

"It is clear that ... the president-elect intends to begin a registration scheme," Arulanandam said. "It starts in the White House and ends in your house.

"Our members expect us to preserve and to protect this great American freedom, and we are ready to do it."

By: Travis Minnear, Ashland Times-Gazette