Colt, maker of the classic Commander, is reporting brisk sales, as are other handgun companies.
Handgun sales are spiking upwards, according to CNN, which reported that Smith & Wesson sales were up by almost one-third at the end of 2013, and Colt sales for the first months of 2014 were “12 times” greater than in 2013.
The story noted that “The market for handguns is driven by a growing interest in self-defense and concerns about tighter gun restrictions.”
It’s not just S&W and Colt that are doing brisk business. Other handgun brands are also selling well, especially compact models that are good for concealed carry. Various reports indicate that concealed carry has grown and that an increasing number of women are buying guns and learning to use them.
This news came shortly after the Santa Barbara attack in which a deranged killer stabbed three men to death in his apartment and then fatally shot two women and another male before trading shots with sheriff’s deputies and killing himself. While that crime brought some calls for more gun control—even in a state that had already adopted virtually the entire gun control agenda and that still did not prevent the slayings—others considered it a signal that maybe they should buy a gun.
“While some people view these events as a reason to restrict guns, others view such events as an incentive to buy guns,” the CNN report said.
Larry Keane, vice president and general counsel at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told CNN that “There’s no question that handgun sales have been steadily increasing.” He confirmed that people are primarily buying handguns for personal protection.
This revelation comes at the same time that concealed carry is continuing to expand, with some estimates reaching above 11 million for the number of citizens now licensed to carry. That much is confirmed by anecdotal evidence such as a story that appeared in the Seattle Times recently, discussing that state’s high number of concealed pistol licenses and how more than one-fifth of those were held by Evergreen State women.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the highest number of CPLs in Washington state are held by people living in rural areas, while the liberal bastion of Seattle has a comparatively low ratio of armed citizens.
The CNN story said Colt is upping its handgun production by 50 percent, an indication of strong sales yet to come.
