• Posted on Thursday, January 13, 2011
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After Arizona shootings, gun sale background checks rise

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Background checks for handgun sales spiked in Texas and other states just two days after a mass shooting in Arizona left six people dead and U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life.

Texas saw the number of background requests rise to 724 on Monday, up from 621 on the corresponding Monday in 2010, according to FBI records.

But workers at some North Texas gun stores said they didn't have as big an increase as they expected in actual sales of guns, ammunition and accessories.

Some Arizona stores have reported a major surge in sales since Saturday.

"We haven't seen anything, and we expected more of a wave to hit," said Glen Furtardo, manager at the Winchester Gallery gun store in east Fort Worth.

"It has been pretty much normal."

At the Cheaper than Dirt gun store in north Fort Worth, business Saturday -- the day of the Arizona shooting -- was steady and busy, but that likely was because of a sale the store was holding, said Cody Henslee, director of operations.

"We're selling stuff, but it's stuff that's on sale," he said. "Business is good, but not like when Obama was getting elected."

Since the 2008 presidential election, some gun store workers have seen a rise in sales at least partly due to a widespread concern that the Obama administration will raise taxes on ammunition, guns and other firearms-related materials or ultimately reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.

To read the complete article, visit www.star-telegram.com.

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