Gun Sales In State Remain Steady

California gun sales remained relatively stable last year – despite a recent uptick in crime. The California Department of Justice says more than 14,000 more handguns were sold last year over 2001´s all-time low. That´s a nine percent increase. But sales of rifles and shotguns dropped by about 16,000 – down eight percent. The more than 352,000 guns sold last year is far below the 600,000 guns sold annually when violent crime peaked in the early 1990s.