KCRA.com
The Stockton Police Department said there is an increase in gun-permit applications in Stockton.
There has been violence in the area, and people are asking about applying for a concealed weapon,” Stockton police officer Joe Silva said.
Al Rash, a Stockton resident, said he doesn’t feel safe anymore, and needs added protection.
“I need to get a gun because there is violence right outside my door,” Rash said.
Rash lives across the street from a man who was just shot Saturday afternoon.
“He was washing out his dog pen and I walked into the house, and heard a bang and a scream, and so I ran out — and he was on the ground in his driveway,” Rash said.
Rash said his neighbor was shot for his gold chain.
Along with permits, the sales of guns spiked in the county in 2011 from the previous year by nearly 2,000.
A report from the California Department of Justice shows that San Joaquin County had 6,268 recorded sales of handguns through August.
If the trend continues, it could exceed the sales of handguns from last year.