Gun sales jump with Obama's reelection

New York Daily News is reporting that gun sales are headed for a boom following President Barack Obama's reelection.

In October, the number of firearms background checks performed on potential gun buyers across the U.S. jumped 18.4%, according to data released by the FBI. The number of applications for gun ownership is considered a leading indicator for future gun sales.

Experts believe the spike is linked to jitters that a Democratic administration might try to tighten gun control laws.

Gun sales also rose in 2008 after Obama was first elected. The FBI conducted 12.7 million background checks that year, compared to 11.2 million the year before, a 13.4% increase.

"Sales are up," John Kielbasa, owner of Fernwood Firearms in Hankins, N.Y. told CNN. "I had a guy waiting here first thing in the morning (Wednesday). He came in, bought two AK-47s."

The debate over gun control heated up again this year after high-profile mass shootings at a theater in Aurora, Colo. and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

In the Aurora shooting, the alleged gunman carried several weapons, including a 100-bullet rifle. A federal ban on assault weapons first signed in 1994 by President Bill Clinton expired in 2004.

Though gun control laws vary widely on a state-to-state basis, Obama has been under pressure to take a tougher stand nationally on the issue.

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