Snoopis
06-09-2006, 06:21 AM
Spending on guns rises to more than $2b during 2005 (http://www.connpost.com/business/ci_3904257)
ROB VARNON rvarnon@ctpost.com
Americans spent more than $2 billion on guns and ammunition in 2005, showing the nation's fascination with firearms is not fading despite concerns raised by gun-control advocates.
The Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation on Monday touted a U.S. Department of Treasury report that said sales of firearms and ammunition increased by 2.6 percent in 2005, while other federal agencies are finding fewer gun-related deaths and crimes. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Centers for Disease Control have not made statistics on gunshot deaths and firearms-related crimes available for 2005, so the NSSF had to rely on data from 2004 and earlier.
In 2005, Americans purchased 4.7 million new guns, the NSSF said, bringing the estimated total of citizen-owned guns to 290 million. These are legal sales; the number of guns sold illegally is not known.
The U.S. Census Bureau said Monday there are approximately 298 million Americans.
NSSF said handgun purchases showed the biggest gain, rising 3 percent in 2005. Connecticut firearms sales increased by 2.5 percent during the same period, according to State Trooper William Tate.
Tate said there were 54,654 registered firearms sales in 2004, compared to 56,022 in 2005. However, these figures do not include all rifle sales, he said, because Connecticut law does not require the registration of all those sales.
As for crimes committed with guns, Tate said it would be difficult to find that data, because federal reporting guidelines do not ask for details on weapons used to commit robberies or murders.
Wagner said the nation saw a decrease in suicides and violent crimes committed with guns in 2004, another year for strong gun sales.
But Lisa Labella, co-executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said the state hasn't been so lucky.
According to the State Medical Examiners Office, of the 1,250 autopsies performed in 2005, firearms killed 188 people. That's the highest figure in four years, according to the medical examiner, and represents almost a 7.4 percent increase from 2004, when firearms were blamed in 175 deaths.
Labella
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said the NSSF report worries her because, "all guns start out as legal gun sales."
She said the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens, but there are "straw purchasers," who buy guns for people who can't legally possess them.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence supported a bill in the last legislative session that would have required gun owners report lost or stolen firearms within 72 hours of missing the weapons, Labella said, but the measure was defeated in the state House of Representatives. She said the goal was to prevent straw purchasers from claiming the guns they sold to criminals were stolen or lost.
Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general council for NSSF, said the bill was bad because it would make criminals of victims and wouldn't stop straw purchases. He said the NSSF and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have courses designed to help dealers identify straw purchasers.
Despite the debate gun sales stirs up, many Connecticut businesses are prospering from the trade.
Connecticut is home to several gun makers, including Fairfield-based Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc., Marlin Firearms Co. of North Haven and Colt Manufacturing Co. of West Hartford.
There are also many gun dealers and shooting ranges in the state. Wagner, of the NSSF, said target shooting and home defense are two of the leading reasons for increased gun sales.
"We've seen a fair increase in licensed target shooting," agreed Al Warmflash, owner of Fairfield Indoor Range Inc. in Monroe. The range has been open for 25 years and offers lessons on how to shoot safely.
Warmflash said gun schools like his are one of the reasons accidental injuries from firearms are lower now than they were in the late 1960s.
Rob Varnon, who covers business, can be reached at 330-6216.
Excellent. We should all try to take some non-shooters to the shooting range.
ROB VARNON rvarnon@ctpost.com
Americans spent more than $2 billion on guns and ammunition in 2005, showing the nation's fascination with firearms is not fading despite concerns raised by gun-control advocates.
The Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation on Monday touted a U.S. Department of Treasury report that said sales of firearms and ammunition increased by 2.6 percent in 2005, while other federal agencies are finding fewer gun-related deaths and crimes. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Centers for Disease Control have not made statistics on gunshot deaths and firearms-related crimes available for 2005, so the NSSF had to rely on data from 2004 and earlier.
In 2005, Americans purchased 4.7 million new guns, the NSSF said, bringing the estimated total of citizen-owned guns to 290 million. These are legal sales; the number of guns sold illegally is not known.
The U.S. Census Bureau said Monday there are approximately 298 million Americans.
NSSF said handgun purchases showed the biggest gain, rising 3 percent in 2005. Connecticut firearms sales increased by 2.5 percent during the same period, according to State Trooper William Tate.
Tate said there were 54,654 registered firearms sales in 2004, compared to 56,022 in 2005. However, these figures do not include all rifle sales, he said, because Connecticut law does not require the registration of all those sales.
As for crimes committed with guns, Tate said it would be difficult to find that data, because federal reporting guidelines do not ask for details on weapons used to commit robberies or murders.
Wagner said the nation saw a decrease in suicides and violent crimes committed with guns in 2004, another year for strong gun sales.
But Lisa Labella, co-executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said the state hasn't been so lucky.
According to the State Medical Examiners Office, of the 1,250 autopsies performed in 2005, firearms killed 188 people. That's the highest figure in four years, according to the medical examiner, and represents almost a 7.4 percent increase from 2004, when firearms were blamed in 175 deaths.
Labella
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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said the NSSF report worries her because, "all guns start out as legal gun sales."
She said the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens, but there are "straw purchasers," who buy guns for people who can't legally possess them.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence supported a bill in the last legislative session that would have required gun owners report lost or stolen firearms within 72 hours of missing the weapons, Labella said, but the measure was defeated in the state House of Representatives. She said the goal was to prevent straw purchasers from claiming the guns they sold to criminals were stolen or lost.
Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general council for NSSF, said the bill was bad because it would make criminals of victims and wouldn't stop straw purchases. He said the NSSF and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have courses designed to help dealers identify straw purchasers.
Despite the debate gun sales stirs up, many Connecticut businesses are prospering from the trade.
Connecticut is home to several gun makers, including Fairfield-based Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc., Marlin Firearms Co. of North Haven and Colt Manufacturing Co. of West Hartford.
There are also many gun dealers and shooting ranges in the state. Wagner, of the NSSF, said target shooting and home defense are two of the leading reasons for increased gun sales.
"We've seen a fair increase in licensed target shooting," agreed Al Warmflash, owner of Fairfield Indoor Range Inc. in Monroe. The range has been open for 25 years and offers lessons on how to shoot safely.
Warmflash said gun schools like his are one of the reasons accidental injuries from firearms are lower now than they were in the late 1960s.
Rob Varnon, who covers business, can be reached at 330-6216.
Excellent. We should all try to take some non-shooters to the shooting range.