Gun sales up in Borderland, too, but local authorities not too worried

Chris Courtner, owner of Gun Nutz shop in Littlefork, which is one of two county gun suppliers, said he’s experienced a dramatic sales spike – up by maybe six times – over what he was selling prior to the Newport, Conn., school and the Aurora, Colo., movie theater killings last year.

It’s a pattern that often repeats itself after a mass shooting or high-profile assasinations when federal and state lawmakers, mostly Democrats, pledge to tighten gun control laws, experts said.

“It’s astronomical,” Courtner said of sales. “I can’t keep up with demand since (Sandy Hook). But my sales really aren’t so much up around here. It’s impacted more of my Internet sales, with a lot of them coming from the East Coast.”

Much of the inventory that used to sit in the store for months now is bought ahead of time and never touches a shelf, such as ammunition in bulk, as people try to buy items they think the govermment will outlaw in the coming months, he said.

Jespersen is the county authority responsible for handling all county permits to purchase handguns and semiautomatic rifles as well as permit to carry applications (The law does not apply to traditional hunting rifle and shotgun purchases.). In International Falls, Police Chief Mike Musich oversees permit-to-carry requests.

In 2012, Jespersen said he issued 129 carry permits and is on pace to sell many more in 2013, with already 36 approved as of last week.

The sheriff has also approved 100 permits to purchase handguns and “military-style” semiautomatic rifles, with another 27 approved by his office since the new year began.

“So it’s up quite a bit,” he said. “I definitely think both Sandy Hook and the possibility of more regulations are part of it. What I don’t think is that it’s a major issue here.”

Borderland, he said has a rich, multi-generational history of hunting.

Courtner said he found it “sickening” when customers asked specifically for guns used in the shootings, the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. Those kinds of sale, though, are “few and far between,” he said. Manufacturers can’t keep up with demand and if someone finds an AR-15, it will probably cost them up to five times the regular sticker price, he said.

Musich said he distributed 80 carry permits in 2012. And he’s approved 23 so far this year, he said. Musich added there’s definitely been an increase in sales in the county’s only other gun shop, Outdoorsman’s Headquarters, 1130 Third Ave.

Owner Jim Leinum declined to comment.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recently announced that 31,657 people received permits to carry firearms in 2012.

The number of carry permits grew by about 11,000 statewide from 2011 and by more than 14,000 permits three years ago, according to the BCA. The vast majority of the permits issued were in the Twin Cities metro area. The state has 125,339 active permits to carry.

BCA’s annual report does include purchase-to-own permits since it is not required by state law, BCA spokeswoman Jill Oliveira said.

“You know, I don’t find it concerning here, not at all,” Jespersen said. “I don’t have an issue with a law-abiding person of sound mind having a gun. It’s their Second Amendment right.”

Jespersen said the background checks he’s doing he believes are “for good people, with good intentions” and did not have to reject a single application last year.

The FBI maintains the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that gun sellers and local authorities use. But it’s not perfect, critics said, with so many jurisdictions, constantly changing information and fewer people to assist with timely updates as the government cuts back.

Jespersen said he could approve a handgun purchase, and an individual could become mentally unstable six months later without him knowing.

“That’s my main concern,” he said.

According to Minnesota and federal law, domestic abusers, felons, illegal drug users as well as those committed to a mental or chemical treatment facility who have not completed treatment and had their civil rights restored cannot own or possess a handgun or semiautomatic firrearm.

Many, like Musich, put more emphasis on the sales increases to stern declarations made by President Obama that often seem to accompany like-incidents since Columbine.

In mid-January, the president called to restrict the sales of certain guns and accessories in light of both Sandy Hook and a rash of gangland shootings in his hometown of Chicago. One proposal of his proposals is to ban assault rifles again, which were outlawed until the measure expired in 2004, and get rid of large-capacity clips.

Obama’s suggestions also include putting officers and counselors in all schools, demanding background checks for all gun sales, reinstating the assault weapons ban, increasing computer network communication, adding more police overall and making punishments harsher for gun traffickers. The president also wants to beef up mental health monitoring, with faster reporting.

If special interests and Congress don’t come around, Obama said if he will do what he can using his executive powers. The Minnesota Legislature also has active gun-control bills in the ongoing session in St. Paul.

Many gun enthusists and legislation critics said what the nation really needs is to make sure guns don’t get into the hands of criminals, who often steal firearms or buy them on the street or in exchange for drugs or money. Killlers aren’t filling out forms in stores, they said.

At least two movements the sides agree upon pay more attention to and assist bullied and abused children. The other is that not enough agencies and community members are simply talking or willing to bring their concerns forward to authorities.