Business as Usual for Local Gun Retailer

Though some retailers are pulling certain assault weapons from their shelves while others raise prices due to demand following the shootings in Newtown, Conn., not everyone feels either move is necessary.

"We're not doing either," Land O' Lakes Gun & Pawn owner Wally Wydra said.

The store has no plans to change its policies or remove any of its weapons from the shelves.

"It's a mental health issue, not a gun problem," Wydra said.

A gun can sit on the counter loaded for 10 years and never harm anyone, Wydra said. It's when that gun gets into the hands of someone mentally ill that it becomes an issue.

Current gun laws and mental health have been topics of discussion since the incident. Dick's and Walmart have pulled assault weapons from their shelves.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama ordered a committee to begin analyzing current gun laws, including reinstating a ban that would require background checks for people purchasing firearms from private dealers and limit the number of high capacity ammunition clip guns that one person could purchase.

The previous federal ban on assault weapons, which was in effect from 1994 to 2004, did nothing to curb crime, Wydra said.

Let Patch save you time. Get local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone every day with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

The store, which has been in business since 1991, does everything "by the books," requiring background checks and adhering to the mandated three-day waiting period for buyers who do not hold a permit, Wydra said.

A buyer with a permit can take a gun home that day, once the FDLE background check clears. Without a permit, there is a three-day cooling off period.

The law is smart, Wydra said. If someone wants to do harm with a gun and after three days still wants to do harm, his or her actions become premeditated, he said.

"Most permit holders are straight-arrow, law-abiding citizens," Wydra said.

The store's stock is, however, low on assault rifles at the moment.

"Most have been sold," he said.

See what other Bay area gun store owners are saying:

Local Gun Shops See Boost in Sales