COLUMBIA — The sounds of bullets echo across the hills of Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area shooting range off U.S. 63, cracking through the air at nearly a thousand feet per second before being swallowed by nearby mounds of dirt and cardboard targets. Inside the gully is the long column of gunmen, squeezing the triggers and sending fire screaming from the muzzles in rapid flickers of light.
For Chris Everman, one of the shooters at the range Tuesday afternoon, it's just stress relief.
"Blowing something up is always fun," Everman said. "Just holding that much power is cool."
Everman is one of many Missourians who is currently in the firearms market, which had an increase in demand shortly after Barack Obama won the presidency in November 2008.
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According to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which conducts background checks necessary to legally obtain a firearm on behalf of participating states, there has been a nearly 42 percent increase — or 449,712 more checks — from November 2007 to November 2008.
Additionally, checks have seen increases of nearly 24 percent in December 2008 and a nearly 29 percent in January from those months the previous year.
Everman, who has been going to the range for nearly 10 years, said he has noticed an increase of gunmen in recent months.
