Gun sales spike with Obama re-election

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FORTH WORTH, Texas, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Gun control advocates said there's been a sharp uptick in gun and ammunition sales since U.S. President Barack Obama's re-election.

Many of the people buying guns said they feared Obama in a second term would move to curtail gun ownership rights, though gun control advocates said the president has shown no signs of moving to tighter gun laws -- despite their protestations.

"I have purchased more since the election," Michael Hill, 49, of Wataug, Texas, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I hear a lot of buzz about ... putting more restrictions in place. There's a lot of paranoia out there. But [Obama] has nothing to lose now because he won't be re-elected again."

Gun control advocates say the sentiment isn't as strong as it was when Obama was first elected in 2008, when worried gun owners cleared off shelves at gun stores across the country.

"I personally think it's very silly," said Marsha McCartney, a spokeswoman for the Texas chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "The president has not done anything in four years to make them think he's coming to get their guns. It's a sad commentary on what people are telling these people to keep them frightened."

Obama said during one of the presidential debates he favors renewing the ban on assault rifles though no such legislation has passed Congress since renewal of the Clinton-era ban failed in 2004.