It’s tricky to bet on the stock market, but there’s one business whose sales are easy to predict: Guns. In recent history, sales of guns tend to spike amid political discussion of gun control and after high-profile shootings. I called around to Portland gun dealers yesterday to see whether the national trend was holding true locally after Obama’s announcement of his support for new gun control laws.

Indeed, the three Portland gun sellers I spoke with reported that a big increase in gun sales recently. Shaun Lacasse, manager of the Gun Room on SE Foster, says the shootings have had more of an impact on sales than the political debate. “Let me put it this way, since this stuff started a month ago, sales have been off the charts, people have been buying protection: hand guns,” says Lacasse. While the store sold out “almost instantly” of most assault rifles and high capacity magazine cartridges that the new federal laws could ban, “The most popular gun is the concealable hand gun.”

Under Oregon law, before any person can get a concealed hand gun permit, they are required to take a safety course. It’s also one of the few states to require background checks at gun shows, though background checks for people buying guns in stores is voluntary.

7 replies on “Portland Gun Store Owners Report Spike in Sales”

  2. Cara, background checks are required anytime a firearms purchase is made in a store, be it a gun store, Big 5, or a pawn shop. You might want to make an edit to your story to reflect this. Other than that, I can’t say I’m really surprised, especially in regard to military-style long rifles.

  3. Indeed Cara, the background check sentence is inaccurate, plus the process for applying for a CHL is not a “Safety course” in any sense, it’s a 1-hour presentation. The “safety course” I went to required me to handle an unloaded pistol to demonstrate proficiency in handling a pistol, otherwise it was just a general Q&A about when you can use your weapon defensively. The largest gun shows in Oregon feature vendors who are licensed FFL dealers, if you buy from an FFL dealer, you have to do a background check. In Oregon, there is a stupid ass law about background checks at gun shows even during private sales, however you can just walk into the parking lot and make a deal without a background check.

    Also: Don’t ever go to the Gun Room on SE Foster – that is the single worst gun store I’ve ever been into in my whole life. The demand to give each customer a treatment on how “Plastic Guns” are junk, they are absolutely certain to interject politics and their personal perspective, and their pricing and selection is subpar. The last time I was in there they insisted on showing my friends and I a shitty hunting rifle they were sending to Sarah Palin, on top of the usual lecture about “plastic guns.”

    Go to any other gun store in town besides Gun Room.

  4. I see where you made the error. On the Guardian weblink, it refers to “private sales”. This means, for instance, if you came to me and said, “I’d like to buy your .45 M1911 pistol, Dr. Lizardo” and I said, “Sure, Cara….you seem like a trustworthy sort who won’t go on a homicidal rampage at the office” and then I sell you the pistol for cash. If you went to a gun store however, you’d have to undergo a background check (for a handgun or long rifle or shotgun). That takes about 15 or 20 minutes; it’s pretty quick. And I certainly hope you’re not the kind to go on a homicidal rampage at the office.

  6. @Frankieb – Yeah, it’s almost like Obama’s actual opinions and policies are in direct contradiction (and completely incompatible) to his public statements and “cult-of-personality” press coverage.

  7. So wait, seriously, were you, like, named after he restaurant on Barbur? Does your family own the restaurant? Was it named after you? How long has that place been rond?

Comments are closed.