Joe Lasecki, owner of Nimrod Haven in Hanover Township, said he notices more people purchasing guns for protection, often first-time handgun buyers.
Lots of people keep saying it’s because the crime is up. Crime is actually been going down. Â I don’t think crime is the driver here, I think the driver is people believing things are going to get worse. Much worse. I’m not sure they are wrong.
And woman are buying in… Every time I am in Millers or Targetmaster now there are woman in there buying. These are not woman visiting with a husband, but woman alone buying handguns. I used to work in a gun shop and it would be weeks upon weeks where we had a woman come in. Now? I am loving it.
What about the increase in the county’s number of older folks (the large demographic bulge of the Baby Boom, who officially reach retirement age starting this year)? As they accept that their ability to defend themselves has significantly dropped I suspect a lot of them are going for CCW. I think I’m seeing that in my father and I know that the Missouri CCW class I attended was mostly, perhaps overwhelmingly older folks (say, a bit above middle-aged).
I’ve been to that store. I grew up in Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne. Right after I turned 21 got my concealed weapons permit. I was standing in line at the courthouse with about 8 women and 1 other dude. When it was my turn to get the permit I asked the Sheriff if it was normal to have that many women and he told me that I would be shocked to know how many women in Luzerene have a permit and that more women than men have permits in Luzerne so I should be careful who I hit on.