Gun Sales Up in Binghamton and U.S.

Gun Sales Up in Binghamton and U.S.
In the City That's Home to Today's Tragic Shooting, and Across the U.S., Gun Sales Are Up
As the city of Binghamton struggles to come to grips with the shooting that took at least 13 lives at local civic center , one of the area's few booming businesses is bracing itself for political blowback.
(AP Photo/Getty Images)
More Photos
By ALICE GOMSTYN and SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
ABC NEWS Business Unit
April 3, 2009
In Binghamton, N.Y., and across the country, firearms sales have been among the few bright spots within the recession-battered economy.
But the shooting that took the lives of 14 people -- including the gunman himself -- at a Binghamton civic center today is adding fresh fuel to the fiery debate between those calling for more gun regulations and those who argue that today's gun laws are tough enough.
Watch a special edition of "20/20" on guns in America anchored by Diane Sawyer Friday, April 10, at 10 p.m. ET
According to a study from the University of Evansville in Indiana, at least 16 mass murders -- the deaths of at least five people in a single incident -- were committed in the United States since last year.
"We had 10 dead in Alabama, eight dead in North Carolina, 10 dead in California, including two police officers, 12 dead, reportedly today, in Binghamton and our political leaders say we should just enforce the laws on the books," Peter Hamm, a spokesman The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said Friday afternoon. "The laws on the books are not working."
Meanwhile, gun owners and merchants, including those in the Binghamton area, maintain that existing U.S. and state laws are tough enough.
"Every time there's an incident involving a shooting of any kind, automatically the cry goes out that we need tougher gun laws and more gun laws," said Chuck Sherwood, the owner of Timbercreek Sportsmanshop in the town of Maine, N.Y., about 14 miles from Binghamton. "All we need to do is enforce what we have now."
Notwithstanding today's tragedy, gun sellers like Sherwood are among the few business owners in the country experiencing boom times. Sherwood said his sales are up 40 percent over this time last year.
Overall, pistol permits have soared in New York's Broome County, which is home to Binghamton. The county sheriff's office has already issued 107 permits in the first three months of the year. Last year, the office issued 237 for the entire year.
"We're going to blow the 2008 number out of the water," sheriff's deputy Brian Curtis said.
Nationally, the picture is much the same.
In the past six months, the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 8.1 million requests from would-be gun buyers (who are required by federal law to undergo background checks before purchasing firearms), a 27 percent jump from 6.3 million requests processed during the same period a year before.
In November, December and January, gun maker Smith & Wesson saw the sales of its handguns and tactical rifles climb 25.9 percent, compared to the same period last year, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Sturm, Ruger and Co. reported a $48 million backlog in orders as of Dec. 31 and a 42 percent increase in sales in 2008.
The jump in fire arms sales, some say, has its roots in both the slumping economy and concerns about future gun-buying restrictions.
During tough economic times, part of what motivates gun patrons are fears that the country's social order could break down in the face of continued economic decline, said Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank.
"There are certain segments of society that probably feel we're headed for a big depression and it will be every man for himself and you're going to have to scavenge for your own goods in a time of social breakdown, one of these kind of post-apocalyptic dystopias that many movies have been made about," Shapiro said.
Another factor motivating gun buyers, Shapiro and others say, is concern that the Obama administration will eventually establish tougher regulations on gun purchases.
It's about the "ability to have it before it gets overregulated," said Emil Masata, a member of the board of directors of the Binghamton Gun Club. "The gun laws are so prohibitive now for the most part, it's a joke."
As for concerns about any changes that Obama would implement to federal gun laws, the fact is that most gun regulations are made at the local level, Shapiro said.
He said he doesn't think today's incident, at least, will lead to tighter regulations.
"Whenever there is a story of a big shooting, it hits the media cycle for a while. Maybe some legislators will start proposing things but unless there is a pattern that develops, I don't know," he said. "There are a lot of gun laws on the books already."
Related
'We Are Stricken With Grief': 14 Dead in N.Y. Shooting Spree
WATCH: Binghamton, N.Y., Shooting Rampage
PHOTOS: Shooting Horror at Civic Center
Related
'Miracle' Recovery Credited to Former Pope
Eight Dead After Shooting at N.C. Nursing Home
'Sadness, Disbelief': Pastor Shot at Pulpit
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7252621&page=1
Binghamton Rampage Leaves 14 Dead, Police Don't Know Motive
Shooter's Sister: 'He Shot Those People? No, No'
Mourners attend a candlelight vigil in memory of the victims of a shooting in Binghamton, N.Y., today, where a gunman opened fire on immigrants who were taking a citizenship exam downtown, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide.
(David Duprey/AP Photo)
More Photos
By RICHARD ESPOSITO, PIERRE THOMAS, RUSSELL GOLDMAN and SCOTT MICHELS
April 3, 2009
As many as 14 people have been shot dead in a murderous three-minute shooting rampage inside an upstate New York civic association building that caters to immigrants, according to federal and state authorities.
The gunman was identified by some police sources as Jiverly Voong.
According to Binghamton Police Chief Joe Zikuski, the gunman entered the one-story American Civic Association in downtown Binghamton at 10:31 a.m. today and began his shooting spree.
By 10:33 a.m., the shooting was over and 14 people -- including the gunman -- lay dead, the chief said.
At least four people were listed in critical condition. Earlier, sources said as many as 26 people were wounded.
Authorities congregate outside the Taylor Street home of gun assailant, Jiverly Voong, 42, before searching the home for evidence after Voong shot and killed up to 12 people at The American Civic Association today in Binghamton, N.Y.
(Heather Ainsworth/AP Photo)
More Photos
Officials who initially said Voong worked for IBM and had been discharged later said they believed that was false. At IBM, there was no record that Jiverly Voong ever worked there.
"We have no idea what the motive is," Zikuski said.
Police were interviewing Voong's family members and executing a search warrant at his home in an effort to establish a motive. Officials were seen removing a gun rifle case, two hard drives, two briefcases and two brown paper bags from the home.
Police Chief: 'He Made Sure Nobody Could Escape'
Officials said Voong entered the civic association armed with two pistols -- a 9 mm and a .45 caliber handgun. A satchel around the gunman's neck carried high capacity magazines, a survival knife and a flashlight, according to police.
Voong backed his car up to the rear door of the building.
"Obviously, it was premeditated. He made sure nobody could escape," Zikuski said.
Voong then headed to the front where he allegedly began executing people.
Voong, 41, also known as Linh Phat Voong, was from Johnson City, N.Y.
Police refused offically to identify the shooter, though sources said it was Voong.
He allegedly burst into the civic center wearing a bright green nylon jacket and dark-rimmed glasses and promptly shot two female receptionists.
One woman died, but the second woman survived.
"She pretended she was dead," Zikuski said. As the gunman headed for a room off the reception area, "she crawled underneath the desk and sometime after that called us," he said.
Most of the people killed or injured were in one classroom taking a citizenship exam.
The police chief said 37 people were safely removed from the building, 26 of whom barricaded themselves in the building's boiler room.
Police arrived just two minutes after the receptionist called 911. Though the shooting lasted only minutes, it took police three hours to make sure the shooter wasn't still alive and laying in wait for more victims.
Zhanar Tokhtabayeva, a 30-year-old from Kazakhstan, told the Associated Press she was in an English class when she heard a shot and her teacher screamed for everyone to go to the storage room.
"I heard the shots, every shot. I heard no screams, just silence, shooting," she said. "I heard shooting, very long time ... and I was thinking, when will this stop? I was thinking that my life was finished."
Sister Stunned at News of Shooting
When the carnage was over, Voong's body was found on the first floor with a hunting knife jammed into the waistband of his pants.
"He shot those people? No. No," said a woman who identified herself as Voong's sister,polo shirts boys, but would not give her name when reached by ABC News.com.
She said her brother went to take classes today at the civic association and that she had not heard from him since. She said she did not know that he was involved in the shooting.
"I'm going to pass out," she said, and she hung up the phone.
A neighbor who lived on the same block as Voong and his family described the family as "quiet" and said they mostly kept to themselves.
"They were nice people," said the neighbor who identified herself only as Darlene. "They were good neighbors."
Police also contacted Voong's sister to say her brother was dead. She told police that Voong was attending language classes at the civic center. She said Voong is a U.S. citizen and has been in this country for 28 years.
U...