NEWINGTON, Conn. -- State gun sales have shot up in the days after the wife and two daughters of a prominent Connecticut physician were killed, according to a local gun shop owner.Scott Hoffman runs Hoffman's Gun Center on the Berlin Turnpike. In the past few days, following the triple homicide in Cheshire, Hoffman said that people have been rushing to his store to buy guns for themselves and their homes.
"They're scared," he said. "They're scared for their own personal safety and their family's safety, their children's safety and they want a way to protect themselves."
Hoffman said that the most popular weapon for both men and women looking to defend themselves is a defense-grade shotgun. Hoffman credited the gun's popularity to the short waiting period -- it can be obtained in two weeks as opposed to waiting 90 days for a pistol permit.
"We sell about 8,000 guns a year, and I'd say a majority of them are for self-defense," he said.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Jessica Schneider reported that residents questioning their sense of safety following the home invasion have also been calling companies that install security systems.
Joe Mitchell of Associated Security Corp. said his company's phones have been ringing off the hook.
"I had 15 phone calls on my phone by 9:30 in the morning," he said.
He said that security systems aren't meant to protect valuables anymore, that many people use them to protect their lives.
(Yet another reason I carry a gun. I'm not saying that they would have been able to save themselves, but the odds would have been more even. Follow the links at the bottom of the linked page to read more about this senseless tragedy. -Yuri)
