Afternoon read: small gun shops, Salmon River flood
North Woods Outfitters in Potsdam. Photo: David Sommerstein
Many New Yorkers rely on their nearby chain store for guns and ammunition purchases. Not so much in the North Country. There are big box options, with Gander Mountain stores in Watertown and Plattsburgh, and Walmart here and there. But, on the other end of the retail scale, according to the federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms list, the region is thick with local gun shops – just over 200.
David Sommerstein visited this one just after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the new state gun control measures into law. Tomorrow during regional news, Sarah Harris checks in with a man in Tupper Lake who’s half historian, half gun dealer, and a couple taking a break from the business by going into the tourist trade in Cranberry Lake.
Flooding in Malone. Photo: Franklin County Emergency Services
Sarah’s story is part of a series being pulled together this week by the Innovation Trail team (we’re one of six participating stations, with the partnership headquartered at WXXI in Rochester).
Joanna Richards is finishing up a story for Wednesday the gun culture in the soldier-dense Watertown area.
The other story we’re following for tomorrow is severe, if localized, flooding in Malone. Julie Grant was there Friday to talk with local officials and homeowners. There are complicating factors involving silt build-up in the Salmon River, but the upshot is that ice jams sent the river over its banks, flooding a neighborhood on lower Park St. A number of people will likely never get back in their homes. Local officials are working to figure out how they can help.
Martha, How “thick” is the region with local guns shops at 200ish. Given the area, is this a lot more than other rural areas of similar size and population? Thanks.
Wish we had that many places to buy socks and underwear….
Just how big an area are you using? And of the alleged 200 gunshops, how many are actually in business full time or even part time vs those that are maintained so the owner can get breaks on pricing for the trap club or such? How many are collectors with a C+R license? How many of those licensees are even still living? My father had a small shop and died. Then I had it, then my Mom. All of us had separate licenses and as far as I know we’re still on the books as active FFL holders, but that was 30-40 years ago!
Statistics like this always make me wonder about their accuracy.
I’m sorry collectors might have a little harder time to practice their hobby. Even the interviewee said that although many people buy larger magazines, most people “probably don’t even use them.” I’m not sure that these alone are reason enough to oppose the law.
So it’s okay to use inflated numbers and scary sounding terms as long as it fits your agenda Brian?
Both Cuomo and Obama agreed that their intention was never to confiscate guns.
In fact, they have both done much to increase gun ownership.
Thanks, guys!
I’m not using any numbers nor do I notice any “scary sounding term” in my comment above.
No, you don’t, but Martha does!
Not really too many stats here except the number of guns stores. I am no more afraid of that then I am off all the fishing shops we have around, gotta be more than 200?
Here are some other stats”
“In 2010, the most recent data available, strangers committed 1.8 million non-fatal, violent crimes nationwide — a 77 percent drop from the 7.9 million committed in 1993, the earliest data available. That mirrors an overall drop in firearm-related crime nationwide during that period — from about 6 victims per 1,000 residents to 1.4 victims per 1,000 residents.”
Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/02/04/2617925/statistics-sometimes-lost-in-emotional.html#storylink=cpy
We should look at ways to deal with a spike in mass shootings. But gun related crime overall is trending down sharply. You wouldn’t know it by watching the news these last few months but that doesn’t sell right now. And the hysteria it has created on both sides of the debate are helping to push guns off the shelf at a rate that might effect the progress we appeared to have made over the last few decades.
According to the NRA, guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
While that is true for the most part, it is also true that most people who kill people are men, so why don’t we just ban men?
Or just cut internet service to Indian Lake……