Ferguson gun sales have skyrocketed in recent days in anticipation that Darren Wilson grand jury decision. Concerns that Michael Brown shooting protesters will once again embark upon rioting and looting if the police officer is not indicted.
A gun store owner in Bridgeton said rumors that the Darren Wilson grand jury decision would be released on November 7 sparked frantic buying at his Ferguson area store.
“Friday morning [November 7] it was a fevered pitch and this entire weekend we’re sold over 100 guns in three days. This is very abnormal,” gun store owner Steven King told KMOV News .
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said a “good number” of citizens have told him that they are purchasing firearms for protection. Mayor Knowles said he told police officers about the plethora of new gun owners in town, and asked them to be “mindful” of that fact. The mayor, a gun owner himself, said that such a responsibility should not be taken lightly.
It is a little frightening to think that somebody who is less trained may not have that restraint,” the Ferguson mayor added.
King went on to say that in the aftermath of the Mike Brown shooting, firearms sales were 10 time higher than normal. Most of the gun buyers either lived in or very close to where the Ferguson riots were occurring, the Metro Shooting Supplies owner added.
“With all the rumors on the internet, they are saying every neighborhood is unsafe, there is a possibility of a strike in any neighborhood,” King said, also noting that private shooting classes offered by the business are completely booked up through the January 1. “People are afraid they are gonna throw Molotov cocktails,” he concluded.
The Ferguson gun sales rapid increase reportedly spans both ethnic and racial lines.
“A lot of black people coming in saying they are afraid of the hooliganism,” the Metro Shooting Supplies owner noted. “But not all of Ferguson is hooliganism. The media portrays us that way. “If the world can just see this is one little street in Ferguson going crazy, they’d understand that we’re not just one big burning city.”
Another Ferguson area gun store owner said each time the door to his store opens, the staff is seeing new faces. The new customers have reportedly stated their concerns about the Michael Brown shooting grand jury decision as well. The vast majority of firearms sold to new customers are home defense items and shotguns.
“We’ve sold tons,” the business owner added when speaking with CNN.
Do you think Ferguson riots will occur again after the Michael Brown shooting Darren Wilson grand jury decision is released?
[Image via: F ree Republic ]