By Sean Bailey | Staff Writer

It’s the beginning of deer rifle hunting season, a traditionally busy time of the year for the Kentucky Outdoorsman gun shop.

But this year has been different — while other retail outlets are seeing a decline in sales, business at the gun shop is up in a big way.

“The beginning of deer rifle season started last Saturday, and so we expected it to be busy,” said Steve Hart, owner of the gun shop at Kentucky Outdoorsman in Corbin. “This last week and the week before Christmas are our busiest weeks anyway. And then you throw in there what we are calling the ‘Obama factor’ into the mix, and it was just a crazy week last week.”

The “Obama factor” has caused a huge increase in the sale of “tactical weapons” such as the AR-15 and high capacity handguns — guns that customers fear will be banned by possible legislation pushed by President-Elect Barack Obama.

“We usually have the end of the row filled with them here, but we’re having to start a wait list,” Hart said as he pointed to a couple of AR-15 style rifles on a gun rack at his shop.

The AR-15 was one gun on the list of weapons banned from sale to civilians as part of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Act, passed by the Clinton Administration. The act was allowed to “sunset” by the Bush Administration in September 2004, making it once again legal to purchase guns like the AR-15.

On the campaign trail, Obama said he promised to protect the Second Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees the right to bear arms, but also supported the re-institution of a law similar to the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Act.

Obama’s White House Transition team created the Web-site change.gov after his win on Nov. 4, which listed the president-elect’s proposed agenda. The Urban Policy section of the agenda states that Obama and Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden favor “commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners while keeping guns away from children and criminals ... They also support making the expired federal assault weapons ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.”

The agenda has since been removed from change.gov and reduced to a short discussion on the administration’s broader goals.

But sentiments like the original post have some gun owners worried.

“We like the business, we appreciate the business and yet it’s sort of a panic right now because I guess it’s been typical that Democrats tend to be more anti-gun. That fear always sets in,” Hart said.

The fear, Hart says, is that come January or February, some gun owners won’t be able to buy guns similar to the AR-15.

The AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle similar to the fully automatic rifles, the M-16 and M-4, that are used by the United States military.

Hart admits AR-15 style weapons are “intimidating looking weapons to the unacquainted,” but points out that many sportsmen in the area, especially those who have served in the military, use them for hunting and purely recreational shooting.

“A lot of guys shoot them for sport,” Hart said. “A lot of them are military guys that are used to the fully automatic version, but these (the rifles we sell) are definitely not that, everyone thinks they are. They look a lot scarier than they are.”

Other guns threatened by legislation similar to the 1994 act are high-capacity handguns, which are loosely defined as pistols that hold more than six rounds. Hart said these guns are used for sport, but can be used for self-defense.

In rural communities like southeast Kentucky, Hart said it can take law enforcement agencies more than an hour to respond to some emergencies. To Hart, firearms are an important last resort in protecting families in danger.

“If you live in New York City or LA, you may have law enforcement get there in two minutes,” he said. “If you live in rural Whitley, Knox, or Laurel County, you may (be) two hours from the law. I feel like we have a God-given right to protect our family. We have great law enforcement around here, but they just can’t be everywhere, there’s just not enough of them.”

Gun sales aren’t just increasing in the Tri-County. Media outlets across the country are reporting a surge in the sale of semi-automatic weapons following the Nov. 4 Democratic sweep of the elections. The AP reported that “last month, as an Obama win looked increasingly inevitable, there were more than 108,000 more background checks for gun purchases than in October 2007, a 15 percent increase.”.National Rifle Association (NRA) Spokesperson Ashley Varner says her organization, which describes itself as a group fighting for Second Amendment rights, is not surprised by the surge in gun purchases.

“We have heard some anecdotal evidence around gun shops and manufacturers that there has been a large increase in sales,” Varner said. “Which is not a surprise when we see that President-Elect Obama has one of the most anti-gun voting records of anyone we’ve ever elected as president.”

Varner said her organization is also concerned about a New York Times story about Obama’s application process for his administration. Part of the application includes a seven-page questionnaire, with question 59 asking if the applicant owns or has any immediate family members that own guns. It also asks if the gun is registered and whether it has been “the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”

“I don’t think gun owners can take a whole lot of solace in an administration that asks questions like that on a job application,” Varner said.

Calls to the Brady Campaign, an organization that “fights gun violence,” were not immediately returned Friday afternoon.

According to the group’s Web-site, the repeal of the 1994 legislation has led to an increase in crimes perpetuated with the dangerous weapons, and “has altered the balance of power in urban streets between police and criminals...” The group states on the site that “voters elected candidates supporting sensible gun laws, while gun lobby messages using outdated scare tactics about government seizure of privately-owned guns fell flat, and millions spent by the NRA went to waste.”

The Brady Campaign is named after Jim Brady, a press secretary under President Ronald Reagan who was shot and permanently injured by a would-be-Reagan assassin in 1981. Since that day, Jim and his wife Sarah Brady have fought to end gun violence.

NRA spokesperson Varner said at this point no one really knows what the new administration will do when it comes to gun legislation, but, she says she isn’t hopeful considering Obama’s voting record.

Local gun shop owner Steve Hart believes uncertainty is fueling the increase in sales.

Hart says rumors claim that the upcoming administration will ban all AR-15-style guns, while some laws by which gun owners will see “500 percent increases in the price of ammo.”

“But nobody knows for sure, and certainly what we’re trying not to do is panic our customers,” Hart said, “particularly with the economy in the state that it’s in right now and around Christmas time.”

Hart says he greatly appreciates the gun sales, but worried that fear might cause some people to spend beyond their means. Tactical rifles, such as the AR-15, can sometimes cost more than $1,000.

“Obviously we’re here to sell guns, but the last thing I want our customers to do is to come out and buy an expensive gun and jeopardize their family’s Christmas or anything like that,” Hart said.

Besides being a recreational tool and a means of protection, Hart said guns are simply a part of Kentucky culture. Hart said the vast majority of his customers have grown up around guns and have a respect for the weapons.

“Typically, whenever we visit with families in the store here, fathers or uncles or grandpas that take the time to get their kid introduced to hunting or fishing, typically, now you can’t say it 100 percent of the time, but typically you don’t have to worry about that kid getting into stuff, because they are surrounded by a group of really good folks,” Hart said.

POLITICS BOOST PANIC

Gun enthusiasts nationwide are stocking up on firearms out of fears that the combination of a Barack Obama administration and a Democrat-dominated Congress will result in tough new gun laws

Last month, as an Obama win looked increasingly inevitable, there were more than 108,000 more background checks for gun purchases than in October 2007, a 15 percent increase. And they were up about 8 percent for the year as of Oct. 26, according to the FBI.

Obama has said he respects Americans’ Second Amendment right to bear arms, but that he favors “common sense” gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he’ll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault and concealed weapons.

As a U.S. Senator, Obama voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to lawsuits; and as an Illinois state legislator, he supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on all firearms.

During an October appearance in Ohio, Obama sought to reassure gun owners. “I will not take your shotgun away,” he said. “I will not take your rifle away. I won’t take your handgun away.”

Source: Associated Press