Drizzt
February 24, 2003, 07:37 PM
AK-47 assault rifles can be bought in Alexandria
Guns can be purchased for less than $500
Andrew Griffin / Staff Reporter
Posted on February 23, 2003
An Alexandria gun dealer said the man who killed two police officers Thursday "had a death wish" and most likely used "the urban weapon of choice" -- an AK-47, a weapon that is popular among criminals and gang members.
Mark Harlan, the owner of Liberty Firearms Sales, said until two years ago he sold fully and semi automatic weapons. However, he had a change of heart as he grew older and no longer sells such powerful weapons.
"I'm glad I don't sell (assault weapons) anymore," Harlan said. "The first thing that went through my head, as a gun dealer, is that I hoped it wasn't one of mine."
Harlan said a family member who is an Alexandria police officer told him the weapon used in Thursday's deadly shooting was a semi-automatic assault weapon.
Since the shooting, that same family member came to Harlan to "arm himself better."
"He's fearful of retaliation," Harlan said. "(Fellow officers) are gearing up."
Harlan said semi- and fully automatic weapons could be devastating because so many rounds are fired each time the trigger is pulled.
"You can shoot a semi-automatic gun nearly as much as a fully automatic gun, it's shooting so fast," Harlan said. "I'm just glad I don't sell assault weapons anymore."
Harlan said that besides assault weapons, he has sold many different kinds of weapons to the public over the years. When he heard about the shootings, he said he couldn't help but wonder where the shooter got his gun.
"I pray it wasn't one of mine that I had sold. I quit selling assault weapons two years ago. They're out there, millions of them," Harlan said. "The first thing I thought of is, you have millions of them sold. There is no telling how many times that gun changed hands before it ended up in that guy's hands."
Harlan stressed that the fact the second amendment to the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to bear arms must also be considered in any discussion about guns.
"There is the freedom aspect and the responsibility aspect," he said. "When these assault weapons were more prevalent some years ago, the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) wasn't doing nearly enough back then. Now I think the background checks are working."
Harlan said he spends less time these days on his gun business and instead focuses on an insurance company he operates.
"When you're a dealer, you look at your right to bear arms and the right to distribute (guns), but when you're not a dealer, you change all that. You have two police officers dead and you're thinking changes," he said.
Harlan said gun sales skyrocketed following events like the death of a president, the 9/11 terrorist attacks or even the Y2K scare.
"I guarantee you that everybody is going to be calling wanting guns," he said. "No one asks for AK-47s anymore. A lot of people bought them before Y2K. This sort of thing drives gun sales. I also think this situation is going to cause people to appreciate the police more."
Harlan said it's important that people know how to protect themselves.
"I encourage people to buy a gun, learn how to use it and learn to protect yourself," he said. "I've got an assault shotgun. I insure houses in that area. (Having a gun) is like a tourniquet. Usually you never think about it, but when you need one, you need one."
Guns like the AK-47 cost $200 10 years ago. Now dealers sell them for more than $500, he said.
Harlan said he believes more of these type crimes are happening in this country.
"It's the moral climate of the country, and things like taking the Ten Commandments out of schools. If we all followed the Ten Commandments this sort of thing wouldn't be happening," he said.
Still, he said, the reality is that criminals will probably always have access to guns and it is best to be prepared.
"You gotta protect yourself," Harlan said.
Firearms dealer Jimmie DeRamus, owner of Silver Dollar Pawn on Lee Street, said he has never sold an automatic rifle in his store.
"I have never had a fully automatic AK-47 come in here," DeRamus said. "Most of them were regular, normal, single shot rifles."
After hearing the sound of the gunfire on television, DeRamus said it sounded like an AK-47 with the searer gears filed down to make the weapon an automatic rifle.
"It was the short, sudden bursts. ... he must have had a tremendous amount of ammunition. He must have been stockpiling for sometime. The first volley was about 300 rounds," DeRamus said.
DeRamus said the reason for the confrontation is still not clear to him.
"I hear that possibly the shooting was in retaliation to APD cracking down on drug trafficking in the neighborhood," he said.
DeRamus said a convicted felon is not supposed to be able to buy or possess a gun. But with the frequent gun shows coming through town, especially during hunting season, felons can purchase weapons from unscrupulous gun sellers.
"With the gun shows, they can go in and at least 50 percent of the dealers are not licensed dealers," DeRamus said. "That is the travesty of the whole situation. The people that are reputable gun dealers in Alexandria follow the guidelines. ... it is kind of like kicking dirt in their face when they let these gun shows in here."
"I don't have to sell to anybody," he said. "We're very conscious of the fact that we're putting a weapon in someone's hands."
Since the shootings, police and the city's residents have been seeking to purchase guns, he said.
"The input I have had from independent police officers is that they felt that they were undergunned and I have had a large request for riot shotguns, and that's only for police officers," he said. "I placed a large order for pump shotguns and numerous police officers are requesting to get them."
DeRamus said maybe it's time for the public to step in and support the police by buying them weaponry.
"We've also been getting some calls from people wanting handguns, or shotguns, but primarily handguns. It's mostly been from business people in town," he said.
DeRamus said the increasing in crime in the city coincided with the opening of Interstate 49 in the mid-1990's.
"We've had a tremendous amount of crime come into Alexandria since I-49 came through," he said. "Alexandria is pretty well known as a dropping off spot, people coming from New Orleans and meeting people from Monroe or Shreveport. Easy in, easy out."
DeRamus, whose shop is a mere five blocks from the scene of the shooting, said that despite the tragedy, the police did what they had to do.
Another gun dealer, Joe Swank, owner of Tioga Pawn on Shreveport Highway in Tioga, said his store does not carry AK-47s.
"An AK-47 is too easily converted," Swank said. He said assault weapons like the AK-47 can be sold for $250 and higher.
Bullets for the gun are inexpensive, he said.
"They cost about $4 or $5 for a box of 20," Swank said.
As required by federal law, a FBI background check must be conducted for each gun sold, he explained.
When asked his reaction to the shooting, Swank said he was surprised. "I didn't think anything like that would happen around here," he said.
http://www.thetowntalk.com/html/03E6CCF8-7D65-45A9-828F-1157CFFF8C90.shtml
What's an "assault shotgun"?
Guns can be purchased for less than $500
Andrew Griffin / Staff Reporter
Posted on February 23, 2003
An Alexandria gun dealer said the man who killed two police officers Thursday "had a death wish" and most likely used "the urban weapon of choice" -- an AK-47, a weapon that is popular among criminals and gang members.
Mark Harlan, the owner of Liberty Firearms Sales, said until two years ago he sold fully and semi automatic weapons. However, he had a change of heart as he grew older and no longer sells such powerful weapons.
"I'm glad I don't sell (assault weapons) anymore," Harlan said. "The first thing that went through my head, as a gun dealer, is that I hoped it wasn't one of mine."
Harlan said a family member who is an Alexandria police officer told him the weapon used in Thursday's deadly shooting was a semi-automatic assault weapon.
Since the shooting, that same family member came to Harlan to "arm himself better."
"He's fearful of retaliation," Harlan said. "(Fellow officers) are gearing up."
Harlan said semi- and fully automatic weapons could be devastating because so many rounds are fired each time the trigger is pulled.
"You can shoot a semi-automatic gun nearly as much as a fully automatic gun, it's shooting so fast," Harlan said. "I'm just glad I don't sell assault weapons anymore."
Harlan said that besides assault weapons, he has sold many different kinds of weapons to the public over the years. When he heard about the shootings, he said he couldn't help but wonder where the shooter got his gun.
"I pray it wasn't one of mine that I had sold. I quit selling assault weapons two years ago. They're out there, millions of them," Harlan said. "The first thing I thought of is, you have millions of them sold. There is no telling how many times that gun changed hands before it ended up in that guy's hands."
Harlan stressed that the fact the second amendment to the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to bear arms must also be considered in any discussion about guns.
"There is the freedom aspect and the responsibility aspect," he said. "When these assault weapons were more prevalent some years ago, the (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) wasn't doing nearly enough back then. Now I think the background checks are working."
Harlan said he spends less time these days on his gun business and instead focuses on an insurance company he operates.
"When you're a dealer, you look at your right to bear arms and the right to distribute (guns), but when you're not a dealer, you change all that. You have two police officers dead and you're thinking changes," he said.
Harlan said gun sales skyrocketed following events like the death of a president, the 9/11 terrorist attacks or even the Y2K scare.
"I guarantee you that everybody is going to be calling wanting guns," he said. "No one asks for AK-47s anymore. A lot of people bought them before Y2K. This sort of thing drives gun sales. I also think this situation is going to cause people to appreciate the police more."
Harlan said it's important that people know how to protect themselves.
"I encourage people to buy a gun, learn how to use it and learn to protect yourself," he said. "I've got an assault shotgun. I insure houses in that area. (Having a gun) is like a tourniquet. Usually you never think about it, but when you need one, you need one."
Guns like the AK-47 cost $200 10 years ago. Now dealers sell them for more than $500, he said.
Harlan said he believes more of these type crimes are happening in this country.
"It's the moral climate of the country, and things like taking the Ten Commandments out of schools. If we all followed the Ten Commandments this sort of thing wouldn't be happening," he said.
Still, he said, the reality is that criminals will probably always have access to guns and it is best to be prepared.
"You gotta protect yourself," Harlan said.
Firearms dealer Jimmie DeRamus, owner of Silver Dollar Pawn on Lee Street, said he has never sold an automatic rifle in his store.
"I have never had a fully automatic AK-47 come in here," DeRamus said. "Most of them were regular, normal, single shot rifles."
After hearing the sound of the gunfire on television, DeRamus said it sounded like an AK-47 with the searer gears filed down to make the weapon an automatic rifle.
"It was the short, sudden bursts. ... he must have had a tremendous amount of ammunition. He must have been stockpiling for sometime. The first volley was about 300 rounds," DeRamus said.
DeRamus said the reason for the confrontation is still not clear to him.
"I hear that possibly the shooting was in retaliation to APD cracking down on drug trafficking in the neighborhood," he said.
DeRamus said a convicted felon is not supposed to be able to buy or possess a gun. But with the frequent gun shows coming through town, especially during hunting season, felons can purchase weapons from unscrupulous gun sellers.
"With the gun shows, they can go in and at least 50 percent of the dealers are not licensed dealers," DeRamus said. "That is the travesty of the whole situation. The people that are reputable gun dealers in Alexandria follow the guidelines. ... it is kind of like kicking dirt in their face when they let these gun shows in here."
"I don't have to sell to anybody," he said. "We're very conscious of the fact that we're putting a weapon in someone's hands."
Since the shootings, police and the city's residents have been seeking to purchase guns, he said.
"The input I have had from independent police officers is that they felt that they were undergunned and I have had a large request for riot shotguns, and that's only for police officers," he said. "I placed a large order for pump shotguns and numerous police officers are requesting to get them."
DeRamus said maybe it's time for the public to step in and support the police by buying them weaponry.
"We've also been getting some calls from people wanting handguns, or shotguns, but primarily handguns. It's mostly been from business people in town," he said.
DeRamus said the increasing in crime in the city coincided with the opening of Interstate 49 in the mid-1990's.
"We've had a tremendous amount of crime come into Alexandria since I-49 came through," he said. "Alexandria is pretty well known as a dropping off spot, people coming from New Orleans and meeting people from Monroe or Shreveport. Easy in, easy out."
DeRamus, whose shop is a mere five blocks from the scene of the shooting, said that despite the tragedy, the police did what they had to do.
Another gun dealer, Joe Swank, owner of Tioga Pawn on Shreveport Highway in Tioga, said his store does not carry AK-47s.
"An AK-47 is too easily converted," Swank said. He said assault weapons like the AK-47 can be sold for $250 and higher.
Bullets for the gun are inexpensive, he said.
"They cost about $4 or $5 for a box of 20," Swank said.
As required by federal law, a FBI background check must be conducted for each gun sold, he explained.
When asked his reaction to the shooting, Swank said he was surprised. "I didn't think anything like that would happen around here," he said.
http://www.thetowntalk.com/html/03E6CCF8-7D65-45A9-828F-1157CFFF8C90.shtml
What's an "assault shotgun"?