MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Background checks for gun purchases soared to the highest one-day total ever the day after Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, mirroring a national surge on Black Friday.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice conducted 1,752 background checks on Nov. 27. Nationwide, the FBI conducted 185,345 firearms background checks, the most ever during a single day.
Brian Rafn follows the gun industry as director of research at Morgan Dempsey Capital Management in Menomonee Falls. Rafn tells the Journal Sentinel the industry has grown 20 percent annually for the last three or four years. He says firearm sales increase every time President Obama or another politician calls for tighter restrictions on guns. Rafn says fears over domestic terrorist attacks also play a role in increased gun sales.
The state DOJ says there are nearly 272,000 concealed carry permits in Wisconsin. Since the shooting in San Bernardino, there have been even more purchases of guns and ammunition.
"There was no one else armed except the bad guy. We’ve heard time and time again recently the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy wth a gun," said Jim Zahorik, gun owner.
Josh Keepman bought a gun Friday. He says it was difficult to find the one he wanted.
“The shop owner had shared with me that sales have been a lot higher than he’d expected for this time of year," said Keepman.
Eric Lovgren discovered that too. Over the weekend, he tried to help his student buy an AR-15 style rifle, with no luck.
“I was shocked not only that there was zero in inventory for the gun I was looking for, but zero in inventory for anything similar," said Eric Lovgren, Midwest Gun Safety firearms instructor.
