SOUTHAVEN, MS (abc24.com) - Gun sales are surging across the country. President Obama has vowed to sign new gun control laws this year.
What shape those laws take remains to be seen, but many Americans -- Mid-Southerners included -- aren't waiting.
Those concerned about limitations are arming themselves now.
"Everybody is scared of the ban," says Monte Dabbs. The last two weeks have been more than hectic at Dabbs Gun and Pawn in Southaven.
Dabbs says in 35 years of business "it's never been anything like this." Semi-automatic handguns and rifles are flying off the shelves.
"People are buying guns because they're going to take the right to have them away," says shopper Travis Parker.
"We don't know what they're gonna do, but everybody's scared they're going to take away the high capacity mags and the assault style," Dabbs says.
So people are buying now. Dabbs got ten AR-15's in stock last Friday. The store sold every single one of them that day.
"We're out of AR-15 magazines. We're out of AR-15 style guns. We've got them on order, but they're not coming in. Our suppliers are almost dried up," Dabbs tells abc24.com.
Mississippi sellers mirror gun sales around the U.S.
"Our biggest distributor in Ohio sold 60 percent of their inventory in one week. They're putting it on backorder. When they get it, we'll get it. But it's been coming in really, really slow."
Just as sales aren't slowing down, neither is the push for tighter gun control.
More than 85,000 people have signed an online petition for Walmart, the nation's largest gun dealer, to stop selling assault weapons. Meanwhile Dick's Sporting Goods has announced it will no longer sell military-style automatic weapons.
That means more customers for shops like Dabbs' store. He thinks the increase in sales will continue for a while.
