| A new Missouri law that eliminated a time-consuming permit process has
fueled a surge in handgun sales across the St. Louis area.
Gun shop owners and salespeople say
business is up at least 20 percent since the Aug. 28 change. No
longer do buyers have to seek permission from their county sheriff
before buying a handgun. Also gone is the $10 fee paid for each
permit.
The increase in business is attributed to several
factors, most of which are expected to taper off in the coming
months.
Some buyers are simply excited about the new law and
eager to take advantage of it.
But perhaps the biggest driver is
that gun buyers have generally known about the impending change since
it was passed by lawmakers earlier this year as part of the so-called
Castle Doctrine legislation. That prompted many prospective buyers to
put off purchases until now.
Such was the case for Matt
Singer, a lawyer who lives in University City. Singer had his eye on
a .357-caliber revolver for several months but waited until Labor Day
to buy it.
"I just showed up with a check," said
Singer, who considered the old rules a needless hassle. "They
weren't giving you any additional protection. But it would cost you
$10 and it took two weeks."
The idea behind the previous
system was that a county sheriff's department would do its own
investigation of an individual's background before issuing a permit.
This was in addition to the FBI background check that accompanies
every handgun purchase.
Proponents say it offered an extra
level of security that kept handguns away from people who shouldn't
have them. While the FBI looks for criminal convictions, the local
sheriff could look at things like 911 calls and arrest reports that
did not result in convictions.
But critics argued that the old
law was often overly restrictive as interpreted by some sheriffs. In
1989, for example, the St. Louis city sheriff required applicants to
get letters of recommendation from two reputable people, such as
ministers or businesspeople. The requirement was later
dropped.
While buyers will still face an FBI background check
— unless they buy from another private individual — the entire
process is much less complicated. And that's good for business.
"The
thing is, people don't like waiting," said Pete Fox, manager of
Top Gun Shooting Sports in Imperial. "Now people can come in, if
they see a gun they like, they can buy it that day."
In
the end, that's the one area — impulse shopping — where there
could be some lasting benefit for gun shops.
Under the old
system, a person wanting to buy a handgun faced the task of filing
and retrieving paperwork with the sheriff — all done during normal
business hours. That process could take longer than a week, giving
buyers a lot of time to think about, and sometimes reconsider, their
planned purchase.
"They had to make two trips downtown.
And if they worked during the day, that was a real problem,"
said Mark Campbell, owner of Mid America Arms in south St. Louis
County, which saw sales double during the past week.
Now that
the hassle factor is gone, there could be a permanent, albeit minor,
boost to sales.
"I don't think it will be enough to buy a
lake house over," said Jim Stephens, owner of Bull's Eye LLC, a
St. Louis firing range and retail shop. "I'd be shocked if it
even hits 10 percent."
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