AYTON, Ohio — Perhaps it is the most unlikely group to benefit from the first nine months of the presidency of Barack Obama: gun and ammunition manufacturers and dealers.
Gun sales have skyrocketed across the U.S. since the Obama administration took over, mostly because those who owned guns feared the new Democratic president and Democratic-majority Congress would push legislation to restrict gun ownership.
 Jim Noelker/Cox Newspapers The gun and ammo shelves at the Olde English Outfitters in Tipp City, Ohio. For a larger, high resolution image, click HERE |
"Obama's the best thing that ever hit the gun business," said Brad Dysinger, a trapshooter and gun dealer in Paulding County, Ohio. "Right after the election people were buying guns because they were afraid of Obama.
"We had three months of that and then, in about February, people who never owned guns started buying them, especially women. We've seen more women buying handguns than ever before."
One pro-gun Web site went so far as to say Obama should be given an award for being "Gun Salesman of the Year."
"Nine or 10 years ago I would have given that title to Bill Clinton or Al Gore," said Evan English, owner of Olde English Outfitters in Ginghamsburg, Ohio. "Obama has eclipsed them."
English said sales are still very strong, but starting to "level out."
While most manufacturers have been able to keep up with gun sales, ammo has not always been available this year. There have also been threatened legislative efforts against ammo sales in some states, so people have been grabbing up ammo in the calibers they like to shoot.
"It's not so much shotgun ammunition. That has been plentiful all along," Dysinger pointed out. "But some of the rifle and pistol ammo has been very hard to get at times."
"I call them hoarders," English said. "Some people are buying up as much as they can, and they probably have more than they will ever shoot in their lifetimes. But it's also not unusual for someone to come in and buy a year's supply."
That type of buying has forced some stores to limit some calibers of bullets.
Shooting, particularly target shooting, also has become more popular. English said there has been higher demand for instruction and classes.
"That's a very good thing, because if more people are buying guns, it's good to see many are taking the responsible step of learning how to use them safely," he said.
Jim Morris writes for the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: jmorris(at)DaytonDailyNews.com.
