Are Gun Sales Going Up in Middle Georgia Since the Election?

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Since election day, gun sales have boomed at some middle Georgia locations.

Howard Reed, owner of Howard’s Pawn and Jewelry in Macon, says his phone has been ringing off the hook since the election, and he can’t keep some guns in stock.

Since Tuesday, sales have gone up from about 20 guns a day to around 35.

Staff we talked to at the store told us customers say they’re worried about a possible assault weapons ban, similar to one signed into law by President Clinton in the 90s.

President Obama hinted he was in support of reintroducing the ban, which expired in 2004, during one of the presidential debates last month.

Reed’s staff says the store is selling at least five assault rifles a day now, up from “one or two” before Tuesday’s election.

“(I) just found out today from one of my head guys that’s in charge of ordering or replacing the guns that we’ve sold, that it seems that there’s already a short supply of not just ammunition, but a lot of the guns,” says Reed.  “I’m just talking about very common handguns that are very popular for car and home protection that both men and women might buy over and over.”

Reed says sales haven’t been as high as they were after Obama’s 2008 election victory.

Still, while gun sales have gone up at one store, other stores say they haven’t seen an increase since the election.

41NBC also reached out to Bass Pro Shops and Ocmulgee Pawn, who both say their sales have remained the same, other than the usual bump they get at the start of hunting season.

The FBI releases the number of firearm background checks that are done each year, but data on their website ends at October 31st of this year, six days before President Obama’s re-election.