One local gun retailer is seeing a lot of new business in light of four recent homicides in the area.
The people over at Reno Guns and Range say they sell about three guns on average a day, but the Saturday before Wilbur Martinez-Guzman was arrested, they sold 20 in one day.
“Anytime where there's an increase in violence in our community, people become a little more aware that they could be a victim,” says Jerome Hawkins, training and compliance manager.
The violence he's referring to are the recent Douglas and Washoe County homicides. Since then, people are turning to self-defense as a means of security. For reference, Reno Guns and Range has quadrupled its average sales in the last couple weeks.
“We see generally an increase in the purchase of defensive tools, it could be a firearm, Taser, pepper spray,” says Hawkins.
However, just buying a gun won't make you safer unless you take the time to learn how to train and use the weapon.
“If you're not comfortable with it and willing to use it, then it's not going to benefit you when you need it,” says Hawkins.
To ease nerves, Reno Guns and Range offers hands-on reality based training exercises. In fact, the classes have more than doubled in size since the first two homicides in Douglas County.
“They just want to increase their skills to help their own security, they have a good training staff here because I’ve used them and people learn the safe right way to handle weapons,” says gun owner Sam Sherman.
Now that Martinez-Guzman is caught, business at Reno Guns and Range is slowly going back to normal. Hawkins just hopes that all the new gun owners out there don't have the misconception that danger is gone, just because one suspect is behind bars.
“There is evil amongst us, and we need to train and prepare ourselves all the time,” says Hawkins.
Hawkins does anticipate some of the new gun owners will want to get rid of their guns within the next few months. Reno Guns and Range does not accept returns however, so these individuals will have to resell their weapons.
