| Colorado Residents Arming Themselves In Wake Of Movie Theater Shooting |
| Jul-24-2012 |
| Keywords: romney, obama, intelligence leak |
Last week's shooting in Aurora, Colorado has ignited a wave of residents wanting to arm themselves.
The Denver Post is reporting since Friday's shooting, the number of background checks for people wanting to buy firearms has surged 41%, with a large number of those wanting training needed to obtain a concealed-carry permit.
Between Friday and Sunday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a firearm. That represents a 43% jump over the same period a week ago.
The checks are required before anyone may legally purchase a gun in Colorado. Because some purchasers may have bought more than one gun or decided against their purchase, the actual number bought may differ from 2,887 background checks.
Such increases aren't unusual in the wake of mass shootings. After a gunman in Tucson killed six people and injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, background checks in Arizona jumped 60 percent over the same date in 2009 , according to the FBI.
A similar increase occurred in Virginia after the shootings at Virginia Tech University in 2007.
Tom Mauser, a gun-control advocate whose son Daniel was killed at Columbine High School in 1999, said he wasn't surprised by the numbers.
"To me that's just symbolic of the fear that drives (people)," he said.
State Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, said she understands what people are thinking when they walk into a gun shop. But she hopes buying a gun isn't the only response people have.
She would also like to see Congress reinstate an assault-weapons ban, and she said Colorado should look into other measures that could prevent tragedies like Friday's shooting.
However the White House and House Speaker John Boehner say the tragic shooting last Friday will not be used as a catalyst to introduce tougher gun control legislation. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 9:00 AM Email to a friend |
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