The movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado last Friday is said to be a driving reason behind a recent gun sales spike.
"These days recently, we have seen a little bit more people calling and looking for firearms for home protection or self protection," said Alexander Bowman, Assistant Manager of Second Amendment Sports in Bakersfield.
Bowman says sales at his gun shop have been steady. He says the shop tends to sell more firearms during election years.
“The last couple years have been good for the industry and continues to be so," he said.
After a major tragedy like the one in Colorado, social behavior experts say some people choose to be armed so they don't feel like victims.
“When we see something like that, where people get killed in close proximity by one person, it makes us much more conscious,” said Bruce Hartsell, a lecturer in social work at CSUB. “We feel vulnerable, and when we feel vulnerable we want to do something about it.”
So do people in town feel safe now, in public settings?
"I don't feel safe at all because there's things going on everywhere," said Barbara Salinas, a local resident.
Another resident, Patrick Zuniga, says he still feels safe when he goes out.
"That was one instance, one thing,” Zuniga said. “We're blaming everything, we're blaming the guns, we're blaming the movie theater, blame the guy.”
Whatever firearms people purchase, many salesmen suggest buyers receive proper training first.
"We have a very high level of training here that is very accessible to the general public," Bowman said.
Other gun shops such as Valley Gun, Bakersfield Gun Club, and Bear Mountain Sports also report an increase in gun sales this year.
