Las Cruces gun store sees considerable spike in sales in recent weeks
A Las Cruces gun store has seen a sizable bump in sales in recent weeks.
Harry Stryker, owner of Strykers Shooting World, says he’s seen a big boost in business since recent attacks in the U.S., such as the Dec. 2 San Bernardino shootings.
Stryker has been in business five years and says gun sales have been 30 percent higher than previous Decembers and his classes to receive a concealed handgun license are booked until April — the fullest the classes have ever been.
Stryker says they do background checks on every person who purchases a gun, but what happens when a gun is a Christmas gift?
“Many people buy Christmas gifts for their family, their wives, their children — that is legal,” Stryker said. “I think the qualifying thing is you cannot buy a gun for someone you know to be a felon or someone who cannot own a gun. If they can’t own a gun and you knowingly buy it for them then you’ve broken federal law.”
With Texas’s open carry law taking effect Friday, Jan. 1, some Las Crucens also have questions about how they will be affected when crossing the state line.
An El Paso gun handling instructor told ABC-7 that a New Mexico open carry permit will be valid in Texas just as a Texas open carry permit will be valid in New Mexico.
Stryker told ABC-7 he doesn’t anticipate an increase in sales in Las Cruces from people in Texas after the Texas open carry law goes into effect.
“Federal law prohibits handguns being sold to a person that does not reside in the state they’re trying to purchase it in. So if you lived in El Paso you would not be able to come to my store in New Mexico and leave with it,” Stryker said.
Stryker said while that federal law applies to handguns, it doesn’t apply to rifles.
He also said you can still purchase a handgun in New Mexico if you don’t live there, it would just need to be shipped to a registered fire arms licensee in El Paso where they would do a background check on you.
Then you would be able to get the gun.
