Gun sales spike in the past two months in Boone County

Gun stores in Ferguson are saying they are seeing a spike in gun sales in the past few months and they aren’t the only ones in Missouri who are seeing the trend.

Target Masters in Columbia said they have seen a big increase in gun sales and people getting their conceal and carry permit.

“They’re just plain saying, ‘We’re scared. We want to be protected and I want to feel safe’ and they know a police officer can’t be there on time,” said shooting instructor Jim Hill at Target Masters.

As far as gun sales at the store, they’re on the rise, and he said he can’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

“It’s actually first time buyers that we’re seeing the increase with. They’re buying guns for protection. People are scared right now and they’re arming themselves,” said Hill.

Hill said people are telling him the reason in the spike for conceal and carry permits is because of the unrest throughout the state.

On the other hand, Major Tom Reddin at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said he doesn’t see too much of an increase with people coming in to register for their CCW.

He also said they don’t know what the reasoning is for someone getting the permit.

“We don’t ask people when they come in to apply for a permit why you are applying. We can’t ask them that,” said Reddin.

Since August of this year, 46 people have applied for a CCW permit in Boone County alone.

That’s not including the month of November, as those numbers will not be in for another few weeks.

The Sheriff’s Department started keeping track of how many people got their CCW permit in 2005.

Since then, they have issued nearly 10,000 permits.