Kenosha gun store sales
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Long lines, rising sales and crowded stores have been a scene at gun shops throughout Maine since Thursday morning, when stores opened for the first time since mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday night resulted in 18 deaths.

Tony Lewis, the owner of T and K Tactical in Augusta, said he did more business Thursday “than I did all of last month.” While other factors, such as the opening of the regular firearm season for deer hunting Saturday, could be contributing to the surge, Lewis said the biggest reason has been related to safety.

“People are scared,” he said. “Law enforcement’s pretty focused on finding this person, so if (civilians) call for assistance, they’re probably not going to get it right away. So they want to make sure they can protect themselves.”

Other stores saw the same rush, which has been reminiscent of a run on ammo that took place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A worker at Howell’s Gun Shop in Gray said “we’ve seen more business (recently).”

At 3 Cousins Firearms in Lewiston, less than a mile and a half from Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant where one of the two shootings took place, customers were lining up to buy guns early Friday morning.

“It’s a madhouse,” said Trevor Brooks, a worker at the store.

— Drew Bonifant in Gun stores in Maine see brisk business in wake of Lewiston shootings

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48 COMMENTS

  1. I started seriously acquiring firearms and training during the reign of the Anointed One, in 2008. Events since then have justified my actions.

    • I wish I had started the same time you did. Instead, I waited until the George Floydd summer of love.

      • Never too late.
        Just yesterday, another of my friends (newbie who has never owned or fired a gun) asked me if I would consider taking him to the range soon. He’s seriously beginning to consider getting a gun for the first time in his life and wants some advice. He wishes he had started earlier, but is doing it now.
        Never too late.

      • I started getting serious during the Clinton Regime. I saw the capabilities of a groups of politicians who seriously wanted to disarm the populace. Even though I had several firearms and would later by more. My focus became ammo. Guns can last a very long time, but ammo is an expendable commodity. Even the components used to make it can be hard to come by. For various reasons. Including what was just experienced. The Covid shortage. Governments can also effect the supply of components. If they so choose and Liberal Democrats are beginning to focus their attention in that direction. If they can’t stop the RTKBA and the Magazine bans are being overturned every other week. Ammo and it’s components are next. They will never stop, because it’s who they are. So remember, when in doubt. Buy all the ammo you can safely afford/cache.

  2. Last year, my wife consented to owning a rifle.

    Now, the southern border invasion and the Gaza war has convinced her she should have a pistol, also. We tried on a few last weekend and she selected the Ruger SR22. Good start given her poor health. We’ll see if we can work her up to a .380. The victory is that she now believes she must be her own first responder.

    Next: training…not just in gun safety, but in how to identify and respond to threats.

    I am quietly celebrating.

    • I didn’t get permission from my wife. I just did it. She was more upset about the money spent than the actual firearms. However, given the encroaching communism since 2008, and the explosive “Summer of Love,” she’s come around, and carries daily. A Ruger Security 9. Nice little pistol.

    • If you woman has ANYTHING to say about it (in restricting such) you’re useless AND you have the wrong woman. Grow a pair.

      There is a handgun, shotgun, and a rifle (you need at least one of each) for every budget. Buy used if you can’t afford new. With a stock of ammunition (that does NOT = one box).

      If you’re a father that included purchase/train/provide same for every one of you children at the appropriate time. You ensured they have a car drivers license and access to a car as needed didn’t you.

      • neiowa,

        I wrote that my wife agreed to have a pistol a year after she agreed to own a rifle. She has every right to decide for herself. I have been building my collection of firearms for about 8 years.

        • Reading is fundamental. Too bad some never really learn how.

          My wife has decided recently to get her CCW and take some professional training. This recent Hamas attack has made her finally reassess her political ties with Anti-Jewish leftists.

  3. We had some yoots bang on my door at night after running over my neighbor’s light pole & running into our yard. I realized I had no gat. A baseball bat & a knife wouldn’t suffice. That was about 13 years ago. Shortly after I gotta gat. And here we are! Planning on more Illannoy DIMSCUM©🙄

  4. The bad news is there is always another murderous perp out there waiting to reek havoc. Good news is next time more people will be prepared.

    • Reek (rÄ“k):
      intransitive verb
      To give off a strong unpleasant odor.
      To be pervaded by something unpleasant.
      To smoke, steam, or fume.

      Wreak (rēk):
      transitive verb
      To bring about (damage or destruction, for example).
      To inflict (vengeance or punishment) upon a person.
      To give vent to or act upon (one’s feelings).

      • Johnny…wreak-reek, their-there, it’s-its, etc. are common errors that can happen to anyone including you.

        • Hey Deb.. Just take satisfaction that he obviously knew EXACTLY what you meant..

          The need to correct on a public forum site is only due to his own insecurity and thus, the need to show superiority..

          Have some pity for the poor soul!

      • People who write like underachieving 4th graders are hilarious. You can tell when someone doesn’t read very much when they don’t know the difference between common homophones.

      • I was a Boy Scout. Lived in areas where real storms and tornados were not unheard of. Been military. Been through a couple of earthquakes.

        For me, being prepared has been a lifelong commitment.

  5. No doubt fear over what jackassery the Maine legislature is planning is fueling a lot of the buying.

    • Just got back from Cabelas. Almost NO fun calibers available like 223 or 556 except in pricey bulk. 9 mm locked up-12 gauge ok. I’m doing well & “need” none. Similar to 2020🙄

    • Purchased 1k rounds of .556 last week. Including shipping, $0.47 per round (new, brass). With Lake City possibly drying up, and anticipating other .gov assaults on the 2A, accumulation seems a good defense.

  7. Failure of government to take care of this man before something bad happens results in more people buying guns. This is not that hard to understand.

    • the overall failure of our government is what has been driving the surge in gun sales
      started when bho got the dem nomination to run for prez
      went in overdrive when kilery got the nomination
      then engaged warp drive with biden, c19 and the summer of love

    • The police announced that they were aware of Mr. Card’s rantings and threats, but unable to find him. Which is likely true, considering they weren’t looking very hard.

  8. ” Shelter in place, we’ve got this under control ” …. how’d that work out in Nova Scotia back in 2020 ?

  9. I imagine that we all have heard the saying, “Reality is a harsh mistress.”

    The first reality is that Maine will lead the United States on any given year for the lowest total violent crime rate per-capita. In fact Maine’s violent crime rate is so low that it is even in the same ballpark as the “safest” European nations that everyone likes to tout as being so “safe” because those nations do not have firearms. Therefore, for many/most people in Maine, violent crime is such a distant notion that it has never prompted them to consider violent crime in terms of classic risk management and thus they did not acquire any firearms for personal protection. Or they considered the risk of violent crime to be so low that that it did not warrant acquiring a firearm.

    The second reality is that violent crime can happen anywhere at any time no matter how low the violent crime rate is at any given location and time. People in Maine just learned that the “harsh” way.

    So, the people in Maine who have never considered violent crime or discounted it as being non-existent in their classic risk management sense have reconsidered their risk parameters and opted to purchase one or more firearms as a result.

    Overall it seems like the people in Maine are acting fairly rationally, all things considered.

    • That is a good assessment. Anytime I talk to anyone in that region it is a challenge to get them to understand that there are parts of America that see move shootings in both numbers and percapita than many active warzones. Even issues with theft (organized retail) are difficult for many of them to conceptualize as it’s just such a different experience once you cross the NY/CT/MA border into VT/NH/ME. Can’t speak for RI only been through a bit and don’t know too many locals.

      • I’m in NH and I have family in both VT and ME and they’re very much like the Mayans not recognizing the threat the Spanish represent.

        An understandable reality back in the day but there is simply no excuse for all the drawbridge-lowering, suicide by tolerance nonsense these three states are doing to themselves in this age of ubiquitous data. Ignorance so willful must be a full time job.

        • Shire-man,

          I can only imagine that total violent crime rates per-capita were even lower 30+ years ago in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (especially their smaller towns and cities). That would certainly lull 98% of the population into a state of mind that violent crime is non-existent for all intents and purposes and therefore there was/is no need for a firearm for personal security reasons. And to be fair, that was a pretty rational position.

          Of course times are a-changin’ and all recorded human History tells us that history always repeats. Always. That being the case, it was/is only a matter of time before the tranquil peace and non-existent violence in those three states is shattered, whether at the hands of a local thug, a local spree-killer, criminal gangs, or even a foreign army.

          A wise student of History would therefore acquire one or more firearms for personal protection at the earliest practical opportunity. And it sounds like many residents in Maine are doing just that.

  10. MSM report yesterday essential was – “brave popo with massive effort trampling over the private property of thousand located and neutralized” the suspect. (The body was found already cold/stiff.)

    • In a place they had previously searched. The body was already their, but because they didn’t want to search the entire facility. Due to it’s size. They later returned and searched the remaining areas and found the body.

      • they had actually cleared the trailers area twice previously before going back and finding him on the third try.

        its odd though…. two other sources reported him being found, one in the woods and the other inside a recycling business, and they reported this almost an hour before the police suddenly went back to the trailers the third time. then police told one resident they found him dead in the woods. then one source reported he had shot himself twice in the head so how do you do that unless the first one didn’t do enough damage and you are still capable and aware and there are cases of it reported to have happened so I guess its possible but its just odd, then the story was changed to read ‘head wounds’ (notice plural ‘wounds’) after the police reported they had found him in the trailers.

        then the ‘two arabs’. a few ‘witness/victims’ reported it was ‘two arabs’. so maybe with the beard growth in the stress of the moment they were mistaken that he sort of looked ‘middle eastern’ but two of them?

        then the rifle. according to a news source their reporter was told by police they found the car and the rifle was in the car. but then when they found him in the trailer the police reported they recovered the rifle there. were there two rifles?

        media reporting can be so messed up.

        • If the story goes away real fast we’ll know something is fishy…like if it was one of these not so legal migrants from “overseas”.

  11. Waters wet, sky’s blue, sheeple bleat
    Nothing new
    They’ll be clamoring for food or other supplies after the next event too. They’ll have plenty of toys though

    • “A lot can happen in 10 days.”

      speaking of the number ’10’, it just so happens to figure prominently in home/self/other defense, for example:

      * It takes an average 10 seconds (or less depending on the strength of the door frame) for a bad guy to breech (by bruit force) the average locked internal room door in the average home/apartment. (yes, the door of the room you barricaded yourself in)

      * It takes an average 10 seconds (or less depending on if a vital organ/artery is hit early in the attack) for a bad guy to stab a person to death.

      * The national average for police response (excluding the state of California), after calling 911, for a violent deadly-force attack (criminal uses other than a gun) upon a single victim in a public place is ~10 minutes for over 80% of cases.

      * The national minimum average for police response response (excluding the state of California) to an active-mass-shooter incident in a ‘public place’ (including schools) is ~4 minutes from notification to 911 to arrival of first police unit at the affected area but the average time to stopping the shooter is ~10 minutes.

      * The national minimum average for police response (excluding the state of California) to a violent domestic violence attack incident inside a home/apartment, from notification to 911 to arrival of the first police unit, is ~8 minutes for ~75% of cases but the average time (from notification to 911) to stopping or subduing the attacker is ~10 minutes for 75% of cases.

      * ~87% of unarmed (e.g. no firearm) female rape victims are completely subdued, or seriously injured, by their (male or female) attackers in ~10 seconds even if the victim employed mace/pepper spray or tried to run or fight back physically. In 2022, nationwide, there are ~130,000 reported actual rapes — 38% of female targeted rape victims in 2022 were armed with a firearm and either stopped or repelled their attackers in ~5 seconds by employing DGU early in the attack and avoided serious injury or rape.

      * The national average time it takes an ‘on scene’ ordinary law abiding person armed with a firearm to stop (defense of home, self, others, including mass shootings) a single violent attacker, if they engage the attacker with DGU, is ~5 seconds.

      In the state of California police response to a ‘violent attacker’ incident (for all categories of violent crime), on average (on a state wide basis), takes ~20 minutes (or greater) in over 70% of cases.

  13. Best time to buy a firearm is as soon as you can legally do so. Second best day would be today.
    Firearms are a tool for a limited number of tasks. As are fire extinguishers and life jackets.
    And, as tools, they can be used for proper legal purposes, or, much like a crow bar, illegal uses.
    Personally, I would recommend, a selection of firearms. A self defense handgun in a sie and caliber you will use, carry and train with. Second would be a .22 rimfire rifle. useful for small game, target shooting and safety training. Next would be a good quality, not necessarily expensive, shotgun in as heavy a gauge as you can work with. 28, 20, 16, or 12 gauges are useful. .410 is acceptable if that is what you can use and afford. 10 gauge is a bit much for novice or inexperienced shooters. then a solid rifle or 3. A mid caliber rifle like the .223/5.56 and a heavier rifle such as a 30 cal. of some type. Useful for hunting and defense.
    No, you don’t need to buy them all at once, but should start with the EDC self defense handgun then either the shotty or .22. And even if the purchase of a centerfire rifle is a year or 2 away, start picking up ammo. A box or 2 at a time or case lots once or twice a year. Build up a stockpile when you can. It won’t rot or expire if stored properly.

    • oldmaninAL,

      Outstanding comment sir.

      I like your explanation and reasoning.

      If you truly cannot possibly afford all five firearm platforms, I am thinking to purchase in this order until you run out of money:

      1st — handgun (.380 Auto, .38 Special, 9mm, or .40 S&W calibers)
      2nd — centerfire rifle (.243 Win., 6.5mm Creedmoor, or .308 Win. calibers)
      3rd — rimfire rifle (.22 LR)
      4th — shotgun (20 gauge only)
      5th — centerfire rifle (.223 or 5.56 NATO calibers)

      Notes:

      For the shotgun I specified only 20 gauge because there are a LOT of shot shell loadings which are widely available and almost everyone can handle 20 gauge.

      For all of the other platforms I specified calibers which are widely available and at least minimally effective for their intended purposes.

    • oldmaninAL,

      I was thinking a bit more. If I could only afford one firearm and never any more, I am leaning toward a semi-auto rifle chambered in .22 LR. It is capable of taking all manner of game and would even be fairly useful for home defense. Of course you cannot realistically cart it around with you when you are away from home.

      And while a handgun would be useful for self-defense either in the home or while out-and-about, it would not be useful for hunting for most people.

      So I guess someone’s choice of only one firearm would boil down to what they prioritize most: hunting ability or self-defense when away from home.

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