ROCK FALLS, Illinois — A Rock Falls shooting range says ammunition sales are on the rise once again after recent protests and riots. They also saw a surge in the first few weeks of the pandemic.
Carry On Range Inc. sells ammunition and provides training classes. Since they sell ammunition they are deemed essential and did not have to close for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's stay at home order.
Recently, class attendance increased by over 25%.
"A lot of people heard that with riots bad things could happen," explains Dakota Hagerman, Carry On Range Inc. Owner.
But business has also been slow recently. Hagerman says he could sell 10,000 rounds of ammo a day, but because distributors are rationing, his stock only allows him to sell 100.
"The problem is ammunition is impossible to get now and big surges like this, distributors run out," Hagerman says.
The last time Hagerman remembers a surge like this was after the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
"People remember history and they remember it was six months after that before I could buy ammunition, so I'm going to stock up now," elaborates Hagerman.
Hagerman says he lost over 100 range members during the pandemic - many, he claims, didn't want to wear a mask.
"We just saw a huge decrease of people coming into the range and a big loss of sales from the range portion there because of the mask thing," comments Hagerman.
So, he says he's not enforcing that rule. Instead, he posted a sign on his front door that says:
"If you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing a mask, you are exempt from this order. Due to HIPPA and the 4th Amendment we CANNOT legally ask you what your medical condition is."
"It's really not my business to ask if you do have a medical condition," says Hagerman.
As time passes, Hagerman can see customers are coming back.
"All of the events that people have seen might make them think, "Hey, I might need a gun to defend myself someday."
All June classes at Carry On Range Inc. are booked - they are now filling up July.