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10/19/2009 3:32 AM

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By Michael Bradwell, Business editor, mbradwell@observer-reporter.com

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A local gun dealer said last week that he saw a flood of orders for firearms just before the election of President Barack Obama, but added that the onslaught has waned since late spring.

George Romanoff, owner of Ace Sporting Goods in South Strabane Township, one of the largest gun dealers in Western Pennsylvania, said sales of pistols and semi-automatic rifles increased noticeably from late October through May.

Gun sales spiked nationally when it became clear Obama would be elected a year ago and purchases continued to rise in his first few months of office. According to the Associated Press, the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check system reported that 6.1 million background checks for gun sales were issued from January to May, an increase of 25.6 percent from the same period the year before.

"They've slowed down considerably," Romanoff said Thursday. Part of the reason for the slowdown, he said, "is that a lot of people who wanted to get firearms have purchased them already. Some of the politics concerned (with gun control legislation) are not on the front-burner now."

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While neither the new administration nor Congress has been markedly anti-gun, worries persist about what could happen.

While acknowledging that lawmakers have not proposed any anti-gun legislation, Romanoff added, "They're ready; it's just a matter of time." He said most manufacturers, distributors and dealers of firearms, including Ace, belong to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which would formally oppose any anti-gun legislation.

Obama has said he respects Second Amendment rights, but favors "common sense" on gun laws. In August, the president signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national forests.

What Romanoff and other dealers are noticing now is a shortage of ammunition.

While reporting that Ace's supplies of ammunition is good, "they're not where we'd like them to be," Romanoff said. He noted "a very high demand for both ammunition and reloading components, including primers, bullets, powder and brass.

"The concern is that government will try to tax components and ammo to the hilt," Romanoff said.

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