Fort Loudon, Pa. - Gun sales are up in Pennsylvania and some say it's because of fear that lawmakers will change gun laws.

At Keystone Country Store in Fort Loudon, for example, owner Bill Zeger says demand for all types of guns is way up.

"All of our inventory - we have holes along the wall,” Zeger said.

But their sales are only up a little.

“Your business can't be up 25 percent if they're not producing more,” Zeger said.

Zeger said manufacturers are producing the same amount of guns they did last year and aren’t accounting for the increase in demand.

"About 15 percent, they say, is tied up in the warehouses," Zeger said, "but the warehouses are empty.”

The federal ban on "assault weapons" expired in 2004, but gun shop owners say many customers are fearful it will be reinstated.

"In 12 years, I've never seen it this way,” Zeger said.

For example, the AR15 semi-automatic rifle is extremely hard to find. Gun advocates say it often gets a bad rap.

"A machine gun, you pull the trigger and as long as you hold it, it goes off. These are semi-automatics, so for each shot to be fired, you have to pull the trigger,” said Doug Mitchell of Keystone Country Store.

Keystone says eventually, measures by the state or federal government to limit or tax gun sales will hurt them. For now, he said, they're trying to keep the shelves stocked so they can cash in on the "fear factor."

"We're hoping for the year to end up five percent, and in this economy that's super. I’d be really happy if we can do that,” Zeger said.

Gov. Ed Rendell has expressed support for a bill that would limit gun buyers to just one handgun purchase per month. He's also said municipalities should have the ability to pass their own gun laws.

Gun rights activists have spoken out against both measures.

 

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