Gun Sales On The Rise In OKC

It’s already a busy time of year for retailers because of the holidays, but Wilshire Gun reports almost double the usual foot traffic and a massive amount of sales and training in the last few weeks.

Brian Cline, of Edmond, fought the crowds Sunday at Wilshire Gun, hoping to train with the new pistol he's had for a few weeks now.

“Got to shoot it once at a range and ready to get some more rounds through it and get a good comfortable feel with it,” he said.

Wilshire Gun’s training director Kevin Maxfield said the place has been packed with people recently, the usual holiday crowd and then some.

“Usually we do see kind of a spike around Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Maxfield said. “But I think this year has really spiked up a lot more than we’ve seen in times past.”

The FBI reports near record numbers: the day after Thanksgiving, more than 185,000 federal background checks were initiated in the U.S., which was the most in the program’s 17 year history for a single day.

“We sold a whole lot of guns that day,” Maxfield said.

Here in the metro, it’s a mix of first-time shooters and those who already own a gun, but want something to carry on them at all times.

“Certain models we’ve had to order more, especially when you’re looking at the smaller conceal and carry guns,” he explained.

None of this surprised Cline because when bad things happen around the world, he said people just want to be prepared.

“You never know what could happen. Always want to be safe,” Cline said.

Wilshire Gun reports a surge in Self-Defense Act License classes as well. They're already booked through the end of the year and into January.