Steven King, left, fills out paperwork before selling a handgun to first-time gun owner Dave Benne at Metro Shooting Supplies, in Bridgeton, Mo. on Saturday.(Photo: Jeff Roberson, AP)
ST. LOUIS — There is a surge of first-time gun owners in the St. Louis region. It is one more sign the entire area is
getting ready for the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case.
At Metro Shooting Supplies in Bridgeton, business has been booming. And the owner says many of the new customers have been first-time gun buyers.
"Buy, Learn, Shoot" is a motto at the store. And recently, learning has been the focus as the store sees a surge in new gun owners like Debra Pohlmann.
"There's been a lot of things going on in the St. Louis area. And it's something that I've always wanted to do. And this has kind of encouraged me to move it up the bucket list," said Pohlmann.
And, buying firearms seems to be the trend in the area, as business at Metro Shooting Supplies has been double the normal amount on many days in the past few weeks. Owners estimate up to 75% of those customers have been first-time gun owners.
USA TODAY
Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.
"People are getting ready, there's a legitimate reason to buy a gun right now," said Metro Shooting Supplies owner Steven King.
In Missouri, there's no law requiring a person to take training classes in order to buy a gun. So Metro Shooting Supplies is taking it upon itself to expand its class schedule and educate each new buyer.
"The last thing I want is for someone to buy a firearm, then it sit on their shelf for the rest of their life and they never shoot it. And then if they ever had to grab it, they don't know how to shoot it," King said.
And King says, most people who come into his store are eager to learn before they buy.
"New gun-buyers are generally like sponges. They want to absorb as much as they can get," he said.
And that goes for people like Pohlmann, who was happy to learn how to shoot. But she says she hopes she's never forced to do it.
"I'm just being optimistic that hopefully there won't be any violence. But if there is, I deserve to protect myself and have peace of mind," said Pohlmann.
KSDK-TV called gun shops across the region. Those in areas far from north St. Louis County say they're not seeing an increase.
While there is not a law requiring training to buy a gun in Missouri, there is a law requiring training to obtain a concealed carry permit.
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