In the days since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, local gun shop owners, like those nationwide, have reported a spike in firearm sales.
Sales are so brisk that inventory at one local shop is getting thin, and background checks that normally take five minutes are taking as long as three hours.
Concerns remain high that more gun control will result from the massacre in Newtown, Conn.
"There's an awful lot of people concerned that their gun rights will be infringed upon," said Pat Geiser, owner of Geiser Guns, 170 Lenker Ave., Sunbury. "Those who have been sitting on the fence, wondering if they should buy one, they're saying now is the time to do it."
In fact, Geiser was so busy that he only had time to discuss the topic with a News-Item reporter via phone call for five minutes before he had to return to assisting customers.
Combine the Connecticut tragedy with hunting season and Christmas and it explains the high sales volume, said Bob Kahler, who operates Kahler's Gun Shop along High Road in Helfenstein.
Kahler said he is usually stocked with at least 200 firearms, but he was down to three revolvers, four semi-automatics and 60 long guns, such as shot guns and muzzleloaders, as of Wednesday. And he can't order more because the wholesalers and manufacturers are "overwhelmed," he said.
"I'm getting low on everything. Restocking is tough to do right now," Kahler said.
'Anything, everything'
There were seven people in Kahler's small shop at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. His shelves of ammunition and cases of pistols, which are both usually full, were nearly empty. There was a long row of rifles on the racks that were purchased and reserved by customers since Friday, which Kahler cant' technically sell until the system processes them.
AR-15s in demand
The Associated Press reported assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, like the ones used by the shooter last week, are "flying off gun store shelves."
Kahler agreed. He said "nine out of 10" calls this week have been for people looking to purchase AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, which is what the shooter in Connecticut is believed to have used. He took a call at 3 p.m. Wednesday from yet another individual looking for that rifle.
He doesn't sell them, but he can specially order them.
Kahler said he is a gun collector and even owns assault weapons, but he hasn't used them in at least 15 years.
"I would never condone banning assault weapons. It's their (gun owners) rights to have them," he said.
One of his customers doesn't necessarily agree. Barry Hummel, of Ashland, was selling his .22-caliber pistol to his Ashland friend, Sam Snyder, at Kehler's shop on Wednesday.
Hummel said every American should have a rifle or shotgun for hunting and a pistol for protection, but assault rifles are not needed by the general public.
"That's where I draw the line," he said.
Geiser said his store is sold out of AR-15s, but people are purchasing a variety of rifles, shot guns and other firearms.
"It's been anything and everything," Geiser said.
Lengthy background checks
Kahler and Geiser tell similar stories of longer waiting times to process background checks. They normally take less than five minutes, but are currently averaging 20 to 30 minutes. Kahler said the longest wait for a background check to clear since Friday was three hours, while the max at Geiser's store was 80 minutes.
Hummel and Snyder waited at least 45 minutes before the system pushed through theirs on Wednesday afternoon.
Kahler said the system has shut down several times since Friday, and customers are forced to simply wait if they want to make a purchase.
The Associated Press reported that Colorado set a single-day record for gun background check requests the day after the mass shooting.
'Blood on his hands'
Kahler said most of the potential gun control decisions will likely not affect his business all that much since he mostly sells hunting weapons and equipment.
"I don't know what else they could change to make it better. They'll want less rounds. I'm positive that's where it will go," he said.
While he's in business to sell guns, Kehler appreciates the sensitivity of the situation.
"I had a son who was killed (in a motor-vehicle accident). I feel their pain," Kahler said. "My heart goes out to them."
He's had to withstand some backlash as someone who sells guns. He received a phone call from an angry woman Monday who blamed him for the Sandy Hook killings and told him if she ever saw him in public, she would spit in his face.
"She told me I have blood on my hands," he said.