Page 8 - ATD05October2015
P. 8
A8
U.S. NEWSMonday 5 October 2015
San Francisco’s last gun store closing doors for good
PAUL ELIAS when a local politician pro- In this Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015 photo, High Bridge Arms general manager Steve Alcairo
Associated Press posed a law that would reaches into a display case of handguns while being interviewed in San Francisco. High Bridge
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — require High Bridge Arms Arms, the last gun store in San Francisco, is scheduled to close on Oct. 31, 2015.
The only gun store in San to video record every gun
Francisco is shuttering for sale and submit a weekly Associated Press
good, saying it can no lon- report of ammunition sales
ger operate in the city’s po- to the police. If passed, the
litical climate of increased law would join several lo-
gun control regulations cal gun control ordinances
and vocal opposition to its on the books in a city still
business. scarred by the 1993 murder
“It’s with tremendous sad- of eight people in a down-
ness and regret that I have town high-rise and the 1978
to announce we are clos- assassination of Mayor
ing our shop,” High Bridge George Moscone and gay
Arms manager Steve Alcai- rights activist Harvey Milk.
ro announced in a Face- “I’m not doing that to
book post on Sept. 11. “It our customers. Enough
has been a long and diffi- is enough,” Alcairo said.
cult ride, but a great plea- “Buying a gun is a consti-
sure to be your last San tutionally protected right.
Francisco gun shop.” Our customers shouldn’t
Alcairo said the breaking be treated like they’re do-
point came this summer ing something wrong.”
The closing comes at a in the gentrifying Bernal the summer. The store’s
time when many Repub- Heights neighborhood of summer slump comes amid
lican-leaning states have hot restaurants, trendy bars an overall gun sales surge
eased regulations on guns and a chic marijuana dis- in the state, according to
despite concern over a pensary, while weathering California Department of
rash of mass shootings such organized campaigns call- Justice statistics.
as the one last week at ing for its closure. The California DOJ re-
an Oregon community in High Bridge will close Oct. ported 931,000 guns sold
which a gunman killed nine 31, Alcairo said. last year— three times the
people. Supervisor Mark Farrell said number sold in 2004 and
The announcement of the he introduced the latest the second highest annual
closing prompted an out- bill to help police combat number since the depart-
pouring of sympathy and violent crime in the city. ment began keeping sales
anger online from gun en- “Anything that makes San records in 1991.
thusiasts — and a steady Francisco safer, I support,” In the end, Alcairo said, he
stream of customers eager he said. and the High Bridge Arms
to take advantage of go- Farrell said the bill hasn’t owner tired of the contin-
ing-out-of-business prices. been voted on, and he ued opposition and moun-
The new rifles lining the doesn’t understand why tains of paperwork required
store’s walls are quickly the store is closing now. He by the San Francisco Police
dwindling, and the hand- said it was “comical” that Department, state Depart-
guns in the glass cases are the High Bridge is blaming ment of Justice and the
going fast. So are T-shirts its closure on a proposed U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, To-
that boast in English and law still months away from bacco, Firearms and Explo-
Chinese that High Bridge taking effect. sives.
is “The Last San Francisco Alcairo said news cover- Alcairo grew up near the
Gun Store.” age of the bill’s introduc- store and says he is angry
For years, the High Bridge tion in July slowed sales and disappointed with San
Arms weathered mounting considerably because cus- Francisco.
restrictions imposed by lo- tomers wrongly believed “This is the city that de-
cal lawmakers and voters, their purchases would be fended gay marriage and
who passed a handgun recorded and turned over fights for unpopular causes
ban in 2005 that a judge to police. He said he had to like medical marijuana,”
later struck down. The gun lay off three clerks and that he said. “Where’s my
store increasingly stood out sales slumped throughout support?”q
