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FBI Report Shows More Americans Are Buying Guns

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- More Americans than ever are buying or thinking about buying guns, according to a recent FBI report.

Amy Yensi has more on what's behind the spike in sales.

Gun owners we spoke to say it's a combination of things: mass shootings becoming all too common and the possibility that terror could be at our doorstep.

At the Pasadena Gun Pawn and Gunshop, more people than usual are coming in to buy guns.

"Probably for the last month and a half, I've had a lot of gun sales here lately," said William Loane.

The spike is part of a national trend. The FBI says it processed more than 185,000 background checks---roughly two per second---on Black Friday. That's up five percent from the same time last year.

The record-breaking jump happened on the same day three people were killed and nine others wounded in an attack at a Planned Parenthood office in Colorado.

The previous record for the most background checks in a single day came after 20 children and six adults were shot to death in a Connecticut elementary school.

"Bad people kill people. Guns don't kill people," Loane said.

Daniel McDowell says rising crime, mass shootings and the constant threat of terror are just some of the reasons he owns a gun.

"Responsible gun owners are protecting themselves, protecting their homes, their businesses, their families. The people that go out there and make the news are the crazies," he said.

The AR-15 is a best-seller here. Shop owners say every time the president talks about gun control, they see a spike in sales.

"More people are being aware that they can't be protected by anyone but themselves," McDowell said.

That worry is inspiring people across the country to take safety into their own hands.

The FBI did not link the rise in background checks specifically to the recent shootings or attacks.

A background check does not mean a gun was purchased but manufacturers use the FBI to predict sales.

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