In the wake of President Obama’s Speech on Wednesday people are scrambling to buy guns. He is proposing a number of bans, including on assault-style rifles and high-caliber magazines. Many local gun shops are out of these items. Others are holding on to what they have left.
“We’ve been out of the black rifles, tactical rifles, shotguns and now we get very few and they are far between. Ammunition as well, we’ve had to limit the sales,” says Horseshoe Pike Gun Shop owner Jim Heverling.
Retired State Trooper Mark Amato is a certified firearms training instructor with MSA Tactical, LLC. He says a ban on these items is not the answer. “Criminals don’t follow the rules. They will obtain things however they want to obtain things either by stealing or buying them illegally. Somebody with three or four, ten round magazines can put as many rounds down range almost as quickly as somebody with a 30 round magazine.”
Heverling agrees. “Safety is an issue. Parents being responsible for having guns secured in a way that youngsters can’t get to them. And people that would have some emotional issues cannot get to them. Maybe a parent needs to make that decision,” says Heverling. “I don’t believe the magazine capacity would solve anything. I don’t believe that taking black rifles from people will solve the problems that we got.