Fear of Gun Control Drives Maryland Firearm Sales

By Rashee Raj Kumar, CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE

Fears of new gun control regulations proposed by President Barack Obama and Gov. Martin O’Malley have intensified sales at Maryland gun shops.

"Everybody is panicking," said Henry Calvert, president of Calvert Firearms in North East. "Every day has been absolutely crazy for the last [few] weeks."

While the boost in sales has bolstered gun dealers' profits, it has also led to a shortage in the supply of guns in the state, especially assault rifles, gun shop owners said. 

“It’s a bear market," Calvert said. "Everyone is purchasing everything that comes in."

Last week, Obama proposed a set of gun control regulations that included a universal background check for all gun sales and a ban on military-style assault weapons. Within days, O’Malley proposed a similar ban on assault weapons in Maryland and limits on the size of magazines.

But Maryland's spike in gun sales predates the proposals in Annapolis and Washington, according to FBI statistics and gun shop owners.

The FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 36,220 background checks for gun purchases in Maryland in November and December 2012. That marks a 49 percent increase compared with the same period in 2011, when the agency processed 24,376 background checks. 

Gun shop owners said sales surged in December following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

In the four days following the Sandy Hook shooting on Dec. 14, Andrew Raymond of Engage Armament in Rockville said his store did 10 times more business than he anticipated; he expected to sell $25,000 worth of merchandise and ended up selling $260,000.

While business is strong now, Raymond said he is concerned about the future.

“What we specialize in as a business is assault rifles,” he said. 

Assault rifles account for 60 to 70 percent of Engage Armament’s business, with handguns making up the rest. A federal or state ban on assault rifles could force him out of business, he said.

Other gun owners say the talk of new gun control regulations in Washington has driven sales upward since October.

Michael Faith, the marketing director at Hendershot's Sporting Goods in Hagerstown, said the uptick started the day after the second presidential debate on Oct. 16, when Obama mentioned renewing the assault weapons ban.

“The sales are fear-driven right now,” said Faith.

“From a business standpoint, sales have been good," he continued. "I can sell every handgun and AR-15 I can get, but the problem is supply.”

Faith also has concerns about any new proposed gun control legislation.

“New York passed legislation that bans anything over seven rounds. If Maryland passes legislation like New York, that affects more than 95 percent of our pistol inventory,” he said. Hendershot's Sporting Goods hired eight new employees to handle increased demand after the second debate. Legislative changes could cost these employees their jobs, Faith said.

Current Maryland Gun Laws

Handguns

• 21 years old to purchase
• Sales regulated
• No permit necessary to purchase
• Permit required for concealed carry
• No license required to own
• Registration required through Maryland State Police
• Safety training program required through Maryland State Police

Assault Weapons (30 guns and their copies are included in category)

• 21 years old to purchase
• Sales regulated
• No permit necessary to purchase
• No license required to own
• Registration required through Maryland State Police
• Safety training program required through Maryland State Police

Ammunition Magazines

• Limited to 20-round capacity
• Three groups are prohibited from purchasing: convicts with felony or certain misdemeanor records, the mentally ill and drug/alcohol abusers

Proposed Changes to Maryland Law

• Complete ban on assault rifle sales
• Magazine capacity reduced to 10-round maximum
• Digital fingerprinting required for handgun ownership, to go in police records
• Updated safety training for handgun ownership
• Not-yet-detailed expanded definition of an assault rifle
• Required background check for all handgun sales
• Increased focus on mental health/school safety
• Adding people in guardianship, and people who have been court-ordered to a mental treatment facility and are deemed as potentially violent, to the list of prohibited purchasers of firearms
• Creation of Maryland center for school safety

Proposed Changes to Federal Law

• Increased focus on mental health/school safety
• Closing loopholes permitting private gun transactions without background checks
• Banning “straw purchasers,” people who purchase firearms for people who would otherwise not be able to obtain them
• Increased investment in local police departments
• Reinstatement and expansion of assault weapon ban of 1994-2004
• Creation of 10-round maximum for magazines
• Removal of restrictions on the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Bureau to enable it to better enforce regulations
• Establishment of annual report on lost and stolen guns
• Requiring all guns be traced from manufacturer to dealer to purchaser
• Banning of armor-piercing bullets

Allen Etzler also contributed to this article.