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The doors opened at Calibers Indoor Range and Training Center at noon Wednesday, and customers quickly began to line up at the counter.

Within minutes, ink pens were scratching away on clipboards, as customer after customer signed up to take a concealed-carry weapons training class.

First in line was Darryl Redmon, whose house was broken into earlier this month. It was the first time he had ever been victimized in 24 years living in his rural home near Kernersville.

He said his wife, Joyce, fired her first handgun on Sunday, determined to be able to protect herself and property should someone decide to kick in their door again.

“It probably won’t be another 24 years before somebody tries it again,” Redmon said.

He isn’t alone.

Local gun shop owners and firearms instructors say business has been booming over the past few years — a fact they credit to criminal activity they feel comes with a soured economy and fears over gang and drug violence.

Weapons permits applications are up, too, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, with 4,560 permits issued in 2006 to 5,179 issued in 2007.

“If times get tough, people are just more afraid of violence,” said Andy Dillon, owner of Colfax Gun & Ammo. 

“The economics trickle down, and the bottom always runs out of money first. The more downturn there is in the economy, the more of an increase you will see in violent activity,” Dillon said.

Criminals are out to make a quick buck, sending many first-time customers to his shop within days of being burglarized, he said.
Capt. Janice Rogers, head of the Greensboro Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, said the agency has not found a direct link between the economy and the crime rate, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t having an impact.

“There is so much violence being reported (in the media) that it seems like it’s overwhelming,” Rogers said. “But in fact, there’s not been much change from year to year.”

Rogers said the country’s economic situation may cause such fear of being victimized, that it makes a gun purchase seem practical.

“If people don’t have jobs and they have to live, they may have to resort to other means to get money,” she said.

Comparing August 2007 with August 2008, the department reported 56 more serious Part 1 offenses in 2008.

Those offenses include homicides, assaults, shootings, robberies, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts. There were 1,379 such crimes in August 2007 and 1,435 for the same month this year.

Calibers owner Carl Abbe said he’s seen the area’s crime rate impact his customer base since buying the range four years ago.

“I’ve had several customers who have been accosted out on the street and threatened for money and had knives stuck in their face,” Abbe said. “They feel secure knowing they are in charge of the situation (having a concealed weapon).”

Abbe said when he took over the range, he would have six to eight people sign up each week to take a concealed-carry course.

That changed two years ago, when 68 people showed up for a walk-in course one Saturday, and applications have continued to pour in since.

Calibers now teaches five concealed-carry classes each month, and the classes average 30 to 40 students each.

At times, Abbe said, they have had a waiting list of up to three months.

Another change since he purchased the business: Women are enrolling in courses because they are afraid.

Four years ago, hardly any women came to Calibers. Now they make up an estimated 20 to 30 percent of his customer base, Abbe said.

Brenda King is one of those women.

She signed up for a concealed-carry course Wednesday because she said signs of gang activity have been showing up in her neighborhood and because she and her husband often work odd hours.

“My husband saw some young guys doing gang signs in our neighborhood,” King said. “Last week, one of the gangs had put a symbol across our neighbor’s fence.

“(Signing up for the class) seemed as if it was the most natural and smart thing for me to do.”

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com