|dev|null wrote on Aug 13^th, 2015 at 12:34pm:


Have there been any mass shootings which didn't use self loaders?

AUBURN — An upcoming change in Maine law that allows adults to carry a concealed handgun without a permit is triggering a spike in gun sales at some local shops.

John Reid, owner of J.T. Reid's Gun Shop in Auburn, said Tuesday that sales of handguns are up and he's ordered more firearms to keep up with the demand.

Reid said much of his new business is coming in response to a law that goes into effect in October. It essentially does away with the requirement in Maine that those carrying a concealed handgun first obtain a permit from police.

"People are showing a lot of interest in it, and I've ordered another 100 handguns to add to the inventory," Reid said. He said weapons popular for personal defense, such as 9 mm and .38-caliber pistols, were the top sellers.

Maine's recent law shift aligns the state with a few others in allowing so-called "constitutional" or "permitless" carry for adults who are not otherwise prohibited by state and federal law from possessing a firearm............CONTINUED

Americans acquiring the most popular rifle in the country will now be doing so only from traditional firearm dealerships and full-service sporting goods stores, which— as it happens —typically have the most extensive selections of firearms and accessories from which to choose, and employees who support the Second Amendment and who can answer firearm questions with expertise.

Walmart said this week that it will no longer sell AR-15s and other “semi-automatic weapons,” and from now on will sell only the kinds of firearms used “by hunters and people who shoot sporting clays and things like that.” The Associated Press reports that Walmart claims its decision wasn’t political, but was rather because sales of the rifle have declined.

Whether Walmart’s decision is political or purely business-driven warrants consideration. Time reports that Walmart stopped selling guns in a third of its stores in 2006, and the Huffington Post reports that the chain now doesn’t sell guns in two-thirds of its stores, even though over that time frame Americans’

annual firearm purchases tripled

.......

continued

As of 2012, there are an estimated 2.5-3.7 million rifles from the AR-15 family in civilian use in the United States.[50] They are favored for target shooting, hunting, and personal protection, and have become the most popular rifle in America.[51]

Conservatively, since 2012, the number of AR15s in civilian hands in the USA has increased considerably, where some estimate close to 5 million. Nobody really knows, because registration is optional at best.

Canada dismantled their long gun registry when they figured out it cost over $2 billion and prevented ... zero zip zilch crimes.

greggerypeccary wrote on Aug 31^st, 2015 at 2:31pm:


The front line Canadian police say gun registration prevented ... zero crimes