Although it is too soon to determine what changes a Barack Obama presidency will mean for the country, some Teche Area gun owners are not taking any chances when it comes to their right to protect what is theirs.

In New Iberia and much of the South, gun stores are reporting increased sales since slightly before and after Obama’s victory Nov. 4.

“That right there scared the hell out of people who believe in the Bill of Rights and the Second Amendment,” said Ricky McGuffie, owner of Cajun Guns and Tackle in New Iberia, referring to Obama’s recent election. “He could have the opportunity to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices. Everybody is scared of a new president and a left-leaning Congress.”

At Cajun Gun and Tackle, handgun sales are reportedly up since Obama's victory. — Lee Ball / The Daily Iberian Advertisement

Cajun Guns and Tackle has experienced about a 30 percent increase in gun sales of late, McGuffie said, and many customers come looking for specialty weapons or assault rifles, which some fear could be banned under the new administration.

“A lot of people are afraid they’ll be banned as soon as he takes office,” said David Perez, manager of Bayou State Pawn and Jewelry Shop. “We’ve gotten a lot more calls about those weapons since the election.”

Obama and Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. have backed a permanent ban on military style semi-automatic rifles.

The spike of sales in Iberia Parish reflects a nationwide trend, according to The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which has reported a 10 percent increase in gun sales in 2008, which it determined from an excise tax levied on firearms and ammunition.

The news agency Reuters recently reported that increase “grew dramatically” in the days leading up to the presidential election.

Sales already are increased this time of year due to hunting season, but handguns are not necessarily a hot item for shooting deer, McGuffie said.

McGuffie said some New Iberia residents have been seeking additional firearms for more than just fear of a new president’s policies.

“Things just are not as safe as they once were,” McGuffie said.