Gun Sales Shoot Up After Election

Election results trigger a spike in gun sales across the nation and in Southern Oregon.

Consumers are cutting back on everything from cars to clothing, but with democrats heading to the White House and increasing their control of congress, gun sales are soaring.

This summer the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gun rights and less gun control in a landmark Second Amendment decision.

Now with Barack Obama's new democratic administration about to take over, many gun owners are becoming concerned about the future.

People like Rick Smith are stocking up on guns and ammo all over the country.

"They're legal right now but if things change I could be made a criminal over night," Smith says.

The retired homicide detective says he's worried about his gun rights under a new Barack Obama presidency.

"I don't want to sound paranoid but I do enjoy shooting the guns that I have and I want to be able to shoot them inexpensively if possible," he says.

Smith isn't not alone. Across town at Medford Pawn people are watching the next president closely on the numerous television sets for sale.

Owner Regina Cantere says her gun sales have shot up 30 percent in just the past three weeks.

"I think everybody kind of suspected that Obama was going to win so they better get in just in case," she says.

Black Bird employees say this years election triggered a 50 percent jump in sales.

"Ninety percent of customers that are coming in to buy fire arms, ammo, whatever the case because the feel their pretty much going to have their rights restricted. Fire arms are going to be harder to get, ammo more expensive, a ban, I've heard a lot of things," one salesman says.

According to Oregon State Police, the number of background checks to buy a gun more than doubled this year the day after election, compared to the first Wednesday of November 2007.

Smith says he's had a gun and hunted most of his life and he hopes this country's newest president-elect will allow him to keep shooting.

As a US Senator, Obama voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to lawsuits.

As a legislator, he supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on all fire-arms.

Last month on the campaign trial Obama said, "I will not take your shotgun away, I will not take your rifle away,  I won't take your handgun away."

According to the FBI, there were more than 100,000 more background checks last month than in October 2007.

That's a 15 percent increase across the country.