Posted on: Thursday, October 4, 2001

The September 11th attack
Hawai'i residents' interest in guns soars

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Interest in owning a gun has skyrocketed in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, according to local gun shops.

Some Hawai'i residents are buying handguns and rifles for their own protection, and others are taking the mandatory handgun safety course in case they feel they someday will need a gun.

Art Ong, owner of Magnum Firearms & Shooting Range in Kaka'ako, said the weekly Saturday course that he offers usually attracts two to four people. In the past two weeks, he's had to add a second class to catch the overflow.

"I'd say the interest in acquiring a firearm has tripled, and our sales reflect that," Ong said. "We had record sales in ... September."

Ong has sold firearms for more than 10 years, and he said business has never been better.

Many of his new customers are middle-class, white-collar people between 30 and 40 years old.

Ong said many law enforcement officers also are picking up more high-powered weapons "to respond if they have to."

At Young Guns in Mapunapuna, salesman Len Carlson said there has been a steady, but not dramatic, increase in gun sales. But he also said more people are asking about the class and requirements to purchase a weapon.

Carlson said there has been a jump in ammunition sales.

Ong said he can't say for sure that the terrorist attacks caused the spike in gun sales. But he said they're probably related.

"Nobody realistically thinks that another Pearl Harbor is going to happen, but at the same time, because Hawai'i is a dropoff point from the Philippines and Asian countries that are a direct route to Mainland, there's always the possibility of a gathering of people who are friendly to terrorist groups," Ong said.

He added that as the economy gets worse, property crimes will increase, and residents will feel the need to protect themselves.

Although gun sales are up, the number of gun permits issued by the Honolulu Police Department has not increased significantly.

Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said 157 handgun permits were issued in both September and August, while rifle permits increased from 154 in August to 203 in September. But Yu said handgun permit applications could increase this month as residents complete gun safety classes.

Ong said he expects sales in October to be better than last month.

"Some people think buying a gun is like buying a flag," he said. "A lot of people think that it's a patriotic duty."