Even gun sales are up in NJ, 30% Police say…..

One thing that bums me out about all this press regarding gun sales and such, is that nobody is reporting the increase in basic gun safety class enrollment, in either the major media, or the blobosphere.   A few safety class instructors have told me that their basic classes are booked solid, and have a waiting list. And I recently learned that there is quite a number of people looking to join private ranges.  So I’m concluding that there is quite a number of newbie shooters growing in number.

Anyway, I stumbled upon this article about gun sales in surrounding townships in the Meadowlands NJ area.  At first this article mentions that the increases could have something to do with Obama getting elected, but then it goes onto credit said increase to the state of the economy, which btw…a number of press articles, I have noticed, have being doing the same thing in the past few weeks.

Some officials speculated that the cause for the sudden rise is due to the current economic recession and the belief that President Barack Obama’s administration may push legislation restricting gun rights.

Wood-Ridge Police Chief Joseph Rutigliano felt the increase in gun permits may be linked more to local issues. “I can only speculate with what we hear, but with crime being on the rise and the economy being so bad, people might feel safer with a firearm in the home,” he said.

Even though these numbers could be considered low, nothing is mentioned about the permits being for *handguns* or the basic *FID card*, since both are thought of being *permits* in the Garden State.

For the first three months of the year, North Arlington issued 20 gun permits versus 15 for the same time frame last year; Lyndhurst issued 40 this year and about 30 percent less last year; Rutherford issued 20 to 25 this year versus 15 last year; and East Rutherford issued 20 to 25 this year versus 16 last year.

But on the bright side, I’m sure this tidbit is enough to get Bryan Miller’s knicker’s in a twist….

In the end, such an article like this can’t be complete without the following foolishness;

Rutigliano noted that he would not encourage anyone to purchase a handgun for his or her home. He said that police officers are trained to handle guns, while homeowners are not and may not know how to properly handle, maintain and store a firearm.

Guess Rutigliano is also unaware of the increase in basic gun safety classes.