SANTA MARIA - Central Coast gun shop manager Joe Degeus says his gun sales are broken up into three categories.
"There's protection, there's hunting and then there's sport shooting", Degeus says.
Degeus says his shop has seen a double-digit percentage increase in gun sales since the re-election of President Obama and another spike recently amid talk in Washington of harsh new gun control laws.
"Here in Congress, what we need now is not more words, what we need is action", says House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, "we must take action to protect our children from harm, to preserve the safety of our schools and to keep our communities safe."
"That will be a sad day in America's history", Degeus says, "because if we lose the Second Amendment, we will soon follow with the First (amendment), and you won't be standing here and neither will I."
Gun control advocates say the country can no longer rely on responsible gun ownership to prevent mass shootings and stricter controls are needed.
Gun owners stand by their principle that, despite the Connecticut school massacre, its not the gun but the person, or persons, that are behind the crime.
"Part of the responsibility falls on the person who did not keep the firearms locked up", Degeus says.
