Jump in Arizona handgun checks follows shootings

[January 12, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI says background checks for handgun sales jumped in Arizona following the shootings in Tucson.

There were 263 background checks in Arizona on Monday, up from 164 for the same day a year ago.

The bureau's figures show big increases in some other states as well. For example, in Ohio handgun background checks went up from 240 on Jan. 10, 2010, to 395 on Monday.

At the same time, the number of background checks declined in some states. In Tennessee, they went down from 448 a year ago to 165 on Monday.

Gun dealers say their sales go up whenever people think the passage of more restrictive gun laws is imminent. In October 2008, when it appeared Barack Obama was going to win the presidency, there were more than 108,000 more background checks for gun purchases than in October 2007, a 15 percent increase. And they were up about 8 percent for the year as of Oct. 26, 2008, according to the FBI.

In releasing a state-by-state list, the FBI cautioned that the number of checks initiated through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System don't reflect the number of handguns sold.

[Associated Press]

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