OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:02 AM PT — Wednesday, August 14, 2019
El Paso residents are flocking to the gun range, following a mass shooting at a local Walmart that left 22 people dead. According to recent reports, Latino residents in the Texas city are filling up classes to become certified to carry a concealed gun in the state.
The general manager of Gun Central, Michael McIntyre, said he normally has about seven people come in for weekend classes, but that number rose to over 50 following the fatal attack. McIntyre also said the number of sales doubled in the past week.
A woman who attended the classes said she felt an urgency to take the required training because the incident occurred so close to home.
Nicole Navarro (L) and Adriana Retana, who said they wanted to improve their marksmanship after a gunman killed 22 people at a local Walmart, practice shooting at a gun range in El Paso, Texas, U.S. August 12, 2019. REUTERS/Julio-Cesar Chavez
Reports say the majority of the classes were Latino as police believe the suspected shooter targeted the city because of its large Mexican population. Police have labeled the shooting as a hate crime after investigators reportedly found his alleged manifesto, which spouted anti-Latino rhetoric.
The sudden influx in gun owners comes after Democrats considered ending August recess early to push for tighter gun control laws.
