By Ray Stern
In the days since Barack Obama was elected to be the next U.S. president, sales at Shooter's World in Phoenix have tripled.
Phil Roux, owner of the large gun store at 27th Avenue and Indian School, recalls how one couple came in two days ago complaining that they were afraid of what the "radical" new president would do. They purchased several thousand rounds of ammunition, two AR-15 assault rifles and two Glock handguns with high-capacity magazines, Roux says.
Four of his distributors, the companies that buy guns from manufacturers and sell them to retail stores, told him they are completely sold out of products.
"People are panicking," Roux says of the crowds rushing in to buy firearms. Roux says he's still got plenty of guns for sale, and he thinks the store will be okay until the craze slows down in coming days.
The trend is sweeping the country, according to several news reports. The articles echo the same concerns by gun buyers that Roux is hearing: Some people are concerned an Obama administration may try to restrict gun and ammunition sales, while others are troubled by paranoid fantasies of a complete breakdown of American society.
Hey, at least there's one bright spot in the retail industry.
