A beginning-of-the-year spike in business sent some Gainesville gun shops and shooting ranges scrambling to find ammunition. However, after the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday against legislation that would have required background checks for gun purchases, banned military-style assault weapons and limited the size of ammunition magazines, local businesses could be brought back to normal.
Jake Kennedy, the owner of Gator Skeet and Trap Club, said the effects of the decision may not be immediate.
“It’s a good thing in the long run,” he said. “In the short run, it has no effect. We’re still finding it hard to get ammunition. Prices are artificially high because the demand is so high.”
Kennedy said the Boston Marathon attack may prolong the scramble for ammunition.
Tyler Marzella, a 23-year-old UF agricultural operations management senior and president of Students for Concealed Carry at UF, said the legislative decision should help make buying supplies easier.
“Hopefully ... we can get back to a normal supply and demand,” he said.
Contact Kelcee Griffis at kgriffis@alligator.org.
