Gun Sales Increase

The recent mass shooting in Orlando has triggered debate over laws governing gun sales throughout the country. Avid gun owners stress that it is not the law abiding citizens who need to be controlled.
The debate on stricter gun control triggers anger and frustration for many along the Coast. Gun owner John Hamm said, “We don’t need any more rules. You have background checks. Anytime you go buy a weapon, you’re going to go through a background check.”
Hamm, an ex-Marine and avid gun owner, defends the good guy, explaining firearms are not the problem in this country. The problem is morality. “I’m not going to go out in the street and kill somebody just because he’s a Muslim. You know the only person that we’re punishing is the law abiding citizen with more rules. The criminals are not going to follow these rules. They’re going to get weapons no matter what you do.”
Mississippi Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker voted to protect the second amendment for the law abiding citizens but keep weapons out of the wrong hands. The two measures both senators voted for gives law enforcement the tools they need to monitor, investigate, and detain terrorists as well as strengthen background checks.
Meanwhile, Gun Ho owner Roger Caplinger tells News 25 guns do not pull the trigger. “None of those guns have jumped off the wall back there. I think if people recognize that those are inanimate objects, they have nothing to do with the crazy people that are doing stuff with them.”
Gun sales sky rocketed after the Orlando massacre, including right here in Pass Christian. Caplinger credits the rise to personal protection, but also fear of losing the right to bear arms. “They get concerned when they start feeling as though they’re going to lose their rights to do something. They generally get nervous about that.”