Local gun dealers say they've seen a significant increase - between 20 and 50 percent - in the sales of guns and ammunition as a result of the election of President Barack Obama.
Jason Gilbert, owner of Gilbert's Gun Shop on Louisville Road, said he's seen an increase of at least 50 percent.
"They are buying ahead of anything that may happen at the national level," Gilbert told The State Journal.
According to the Associated Press, Obama said he supports the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.
"I will not take your shotgun away," Obama said. "I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away."
However, the Associated Press also reported that Obama said he supports the now-overturned Washington, D.C., handgun ban and a proposal to make it easier to trace ammunition used in a crime.
Obama also said he supports "commonsense" regulations, such as background checks.
The National Rifle Association described Obama as a poster child "of the extremist, elitist gun control movement."
Gilbert said his customers are concerned Obama will ban a number of firearms, eliminate concealed-carry permits and increase taxes on guns and ammunition.
Two bills have been proposed in Congress that would re-authorize a previous weapons ban that would outlaw a number of common guns, Gilbert said.
"These are guns that have been around for 50 years," he said.
According to a press release from the National Sports Shooting Foundation, the legislation incorrectly defines an "assault weapon" based on cosmetic features, such as a folding stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or grenade launcher.
"None of these features figure into the criminal misuse of firearms, regardless of their appearance," according to the press release.
According to the foundation, the number of background checks processed by the FBI increased 24 percent in December - background checks are a strong indicator of actual sales.
Prices have increased for guns and ammunition of all types and it's getting harder to fill his inventory, Gilbert said.
"I've never seen anything like it at all in 30 years," he said. "From what I understand it's worse in metropolitan areas than it is here."
Mike Sloan, owner of Mike's Guns, Archery and Pawn on Pierce Lane, said he's seen a 20 percent increase in sales since October. He usually sells about 2,200 guns per year so that means an extra 700 to 800 in the last few months.
"It's simple, if you do any reading on guns you know that there will probably be something done with the gun laws," Sloan said. "These people are not going take any chance, after they seen what happened during the Clinton administration."
President Clinton signed an assault weapons ban in 1994 but it has since expired. According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the expiration of the ban has been a "serious blow" to public safety.
According to the Brady Campaign, the ban reduced the amount of "high-power assault weapons" used in crimes by 66 percent.
Sloan said it's difficult to find any handguns with a capacity of more than 10 rounds or any sort military-style semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 or AK-47. Prices have also increased for guns and ammunition, he said.
It's unlikely gun control will be at the top of Obama's agenda because he has more important issues to deal with like the economy, Sloan said.
John Howard, a sales representative for the hunting industry, said the market for "tactical firearms" has exploded.
"They can't get them fast enough," he said. "I was standing in a shop in Tennessee and I saw seven AR-15s sold in 30 minutes."
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