New state law spurs gun sales in St. Louis area, MO

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Gun shop owners and salespeople in the St. Louis area say business is up at least 20 percent since a new law became effective Aug. 28 eliminating a time-consuming permit process for purchasing handguns.

The new law also eliminates a $10 fee.

Many buyers were aware of the change and put off purchases until now. Among them was Matt Singer, a University City lawyer who waited until Labor Day to purchase a .357-caliber revolver.

“I just showed up with a check,” said Singer, who considered the old rules a needless hassle. “They weren’t giving you any additional protection. But it would cost you $10 and it took two weeks.”

Under the previous system, a county sheriff’s department was supposed to do its own background check before issuing a permit. That was in addition to an FBI background check. Proponents said it offered an extra level of security to keep guns away from those who shouldn’t have them.

But critics argued that the old law was often overly restrictive as interpreted by some sheriffs.

“The thing is, people don’t like waiting,” said Pete Fox, manager of Top Gun Shooting Sports in Imperial. “Now people can come in, if they see a gun they like, they can buy it that day.”

Under the old system, a person wanting to buy a handgun faced the task of filing and retrieving paperwork with the sheriff — all done during normal business hours. That process could take longer than a week.

“They had to make two trips downtown. And if they worked during the day, that was a real problem,” said Mark Campbell, owner of Mid America Arms in south St. Louis County, which saw sales double during the past week.

But gun shop owners doubt the spike will be substantial in the long run.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com