Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, gun sales across the country have been through the roof, and that's no different here in North Central Wisconsin.
The owner of Central Wisconsin Firearms in downtown Wausau says sales the last ten days have been unprecedented.
Frederick Prehn says people fear their second amendment rights are going to be taken away since politicians introduced legislation to ban assault weapons.
"Gun owners are reasonable people but we're dealing with unreasonable politicians we really are," Prehn said. "They wanna do something because they think they have to do something. Let's sit down and have a dialogue, this is a complex problem."
He doesn't believe banning assault weapons will solve the problem, but says he's open to discussing making background checks mandatory at gun shows and private sales, especially since he's required to give background checks before each firearm purchase at his store.
He says typically the business sells between 50 and 60 firearms a month, but since the mass shooting, they've sold more than 250.
"It's a mixed bag," he said. "I'd say some people have never bought a handgun or a rifle in their lives, some people are gun collectors. They're scared."
Customers are buying personal handguns and assault weapons.
Prehn says he's even getting calls from people across the country looking to stock up, but he'll only sell items to local customers.
