Nevada gun sales increase in wake of Colorado shooting

Nevada gun sales have increased like in other states across the country since a Colorado gunman killed 12 moviegoers and wounded 58 others during a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie last week.

Information from the Department of Public Safety shows that background checks for gun purchases statewide increased by 80 percent Monday and 40 percent Wednesday, according to a report by KTVN-TV in Reno. Every gun sale requires a background check.

At The Gun Store in Las Vegas on Tropicana Avenue and McLeod Drive, owner Bob Irwin said gun sales rose about 15 percent in the days just after the shooting.

Of those, Irwin speculated that about 20 percent purchased a gun for self-defense. The remaining 80 percent, he said, "is defense from the government," a fear of tightening gun control law in the wake of the massacre.

Irwin also said registration for permit classes at his store is up 15 to 20 percent.

Colorado, Utah, and other states have also reported spikes in gun sales since the shooting.