The effects of the gun control debate are being felt here in Smithville, with local gun shops reporting a marked increase in sales that seems to mirror a nationwide trend.
“It takes almost two weeks to get an order in right now,” Tracy Caplinger of L&C Sporting Goods told the Review Friday. “Shipping is at least a week behind on anything gun-related.
Not only are gun sales up, but a rise in ammunition purchases have depleted the supply and driven prices up.
“Ammunition is hard to even find,” Caplinger said. “We have to order it from wherever we can get it, and even then if we can get it in stock the prices are sky-high.”
Permit requests have also taken a sharp upturn in Tennessee.
In 2010, there were a total of 298,832 permit requests, and the number grew in 2011 to 347,792 in 2011.
With December requests not yet tallied, the 2012 number was already at 379,209.
The week after the Sandy Hook shooting alone, Dec. 14-23, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported 36,769 background checks for firearm purchases.
Caplinger said local concealed-carry permit requests also mirror the state-wide increase.
“I’m signing five-10 people a day up for the concealed-carry class, and we’re booked up almost through February. I usually have one class a week, but we have gone to two classes a week and we’re still getting swamped.”
 He said a very small percentage of local sales consisted of AR-15 or “military style” rifles, as the supply is nearly non-existent.
“There aren’t any out there to get, and if you find them the prices are doubled or tripled. I couldn’t even order one right now. They are just not there to get.”
Caplinger said that uncertainty about future gun legislation seems to be the driving force behind the rush. 
“Everybody is scared. They don’t know what is going to happen with the gun laws, and they are buying everything they can get their hands on. I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as people think, but you never know what’s going to happen,” Caplinger said.