A local firearms instructor says he’s not surprised to see an increase in gun sales. Background checks for gun purchases soared to the highest one-day total ever the day after Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, mirroring a national surge on Black Friday. The Wisconsin Department of Justice conducted more than 1,700 background checks on November 27th. That doesn’t come as a surprise to Fond du Lac firearm instructor Ed Schilling. “Any time there is a firearms tragedy, and there certainly have been a few, gun sales go up. I think that’s been the pattern for many years because people become alarmed in thinking that the government will start to do certain kinds of restrictions on firearms,” Schilling said. Schilling teaches a concealed carry class at Dutch’s Trading Post in Fond du Lac. Gun industry researcher Brian Rafn says firearm sales increase every time President Barack Obama or another politician calls for tighter restrictions on guns.
