Gun Sales Higher in PA After Sandy Hook Shooting

Mirroring a national trend, several gun stores in the Philly area saw spikes in gun sales since the school shooting in Connecticut last week. While some gun rights activists and politicians have recommended distributing more guns in the wake of the tragedy–to help take down potential mass shooters–that rationale doesn’t explain the local surge at Delia’s Gun Shop on Torresdale Ave.

[Frank] Delia said his Wissinoming store has sold about 20 AR-15s and AK-47s, two semi-automatic assault rifles, since Newtown — nearly his entire stock. “That wiped us out,” he said. “As soon as they start talking about assault-weapons bans … they’re going off the scale.”

With Pennsylvania politicians and U.S. Senate Democrats (including Bob Casey) preparing to vote on imminent gun control legislation, there’s logic behind the stockpiling. Though it’s unclear right now to what extent they’d be able to use their guns if a ban were imposed, let alone if the ban has any chance of getting through Congress. [Inquirer]