Gun sales continuing to soar

Thousands of names took up nearly two full pages of newspaper space in the Sunday Gazette.  The names reflected all the people who have obtained weapons permits since the first of the year.  Mike Gerot, manager of the Ammo Bearer in Iowa City, said sudden demand has translated into big business.

“We sell a lot of hand guns mainly,” he said.  “People are just exercising their right to carry.”

Gerot said the new law, which changed Iowa from a “may issue” to a “shall issue” state, has many new customers coming to the store.

“We've actually been selling a lot of holsters,” he said.  “Before people already had guns, but nobody had a reason to carry them.”

Gerot said he believes more people are indeed carrying guns on the streets, and that is something the Johnson County Sheriff echos.

“In the year 2010 we gave out a little over 500 permits to carry, we did that alone in January 2011,” said Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek.

Both Gerot and Pulrabek said they believe responsible individuals have the right to carry a gun.  They also both noted that they hope people carry their guns concealed rather than openly to avoid causing any public alarm.