Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
| Name | Tony ASHY [3] | |
| Gender | Male | |
| HIST | Date Published: August 16, 2009 Jumping the gun Weapon sales are booming and women are driving the trend Keith Gedamke / The Item Concealed weapon permits have more than doubled in the past two years, going from 30,787 at the end of 2006 to almost 70,000 at the end of December, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. By ANNABELLE ROBERTSON Item Staff Writer arobertson@theitem.com Guns are a blazin'. Throughout Sumter and all around the state, gun sales are soaring and residents are arming themselves in record numbers. According to the State Law Enforcement Division, concealed weapons permits have more than doubled in the past two years, rising from 30,787 at the end of 2006 to almost 70,000 at the end of December. In Sumter, 740 people had active concealed weapons permits in 2006. At the end of 2008, almost 1,700 people did. According to weapons permit instructors, 2009 numbers appear to be even higher. And that doesn't include all the people who are packing who don't have permits. “I've had a dramatic increase in the number of participants in my class – dramatic,” said Dale Atkinson, the Sumter County probate judge and a SLED-certified concealed weapons permit instructor. “Maybe as many as three times the number in previous years. And many of those are women.” Beth Boyle, 22, is one of them. Keith Gedamke / The Item “I don't have my own gun,” said the recent college graduate. “Not yet, at least. I took the class before I had one because I want to own a gun, though. For me, it's for protection. If something ever happened, I want to be prepared.” Boyle, a Sumter native, grew up around weapons. Her grandfather owned and used several firearms, and Boyle and her father had talked about taking a concealed weapons permit course for years. But it wasn't until several robberies took place in her Charleston apartment building that Boyle finally decided to invest in a gun. “Most of my friends are single women,” she said. “We don't have a man who will fight for us if someone breaks in.” CBS' 60 Minutes recently reported that the number of background checks for weapons purchases nationally had jumped more than 30 percent compared to last year. Local gun dealers are seeing evidence of the trend. Tony Ashy, owner of Tony's Gun and Police Supply on U.S. 378, has noticed a huge increase in sales. He estimates he's selling 25 percent to 30 percent more guns and ammunition this year than he was last year – maybe more. “I think it's the economy; that's what I hear from my customers,” he said. “But it's also a lot more women who are buying. The law can't protect them 24 hours a day. The instability in the streets and the crime is rising. And gun sales go up whenever the crime rates go up.” Keith Gedamke / The Item About 60 percent of Ashy's business is from women, he said. The increase began about the middle of last year. Ralph Baker, a range officer at the Manchester Rifle and Pistol Range at Poinsett Park, teaches a National Rifle Association course in gun fundamentals. Baker said women are attending his courses in record numbers, and they all talk about the need for safety. “People are coming to the realization that they must be responsible for their own personal protection,” he said. “Crime is much worse than it was five and 10 years ago, and the gun people have a saying: 'When seconds count, the police are minutes away.' I'm not saying anything bad about the police. They do a very good job. But they cannot be there when a crime is actually occurring.” Jim Montalbano, owner of Jim's Gun Shop on Bultman Drive, has also noticed a rise in sales among women. “People are scared to death, and they're buying these guns to protect themselves,” he said. The trend has created a new niche in the weapons market: pink guns, pink pepper spray and pink paraphenalia – all of which are bolstering sales by giving women more selection to choose from. “The new colors protect women, too,” said Ashy, pointing to a fuchsia Smith & Wesson. “Believe me, no man is going to steal that.” Keith Gedamke / The Item It's all causing a decrease in supply that the dealers are feeling, even as they try to meet market demand. “If we could get what people wanted, business would be great,” Montalbano said. “The day after the election, that's when people came in in droves to buy their Glocks. But the factories didn't know this was going to happen. Now there's a shortage, especially in ammo.” Ashy sells so much ammunition he can't keep it in stock. “You can't find a .38 right now,” he said, holding up a copper bullet. “That's what you use for pocket guns, the ones most people are buying. These bullets used to be $14.95 a box. Now, the retailers that have them are selling them between $30 and $40 a box.” Most sales, the dealers said, are for small guns. About 90 percent of Ashy's sales amount to less than $500. He believes that people simply don't have the cash to buy expensive firearms anymore. And they want something small to conceal. Rumors about taxation on firearms and ammunition – if not an outright ban on handguns by the Obama administration – may also be fueling sales. Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, both of Massachusetts, have talked freely about a 500 percent increase in gun taxes, and President Obama's voting record while he was a senator indicates that he is an advocate of gun control. “There are a lot of people concerned about crime in Sumter,” Atkinson said. “A lot of people want to learn how to protect themselves. And there are those that feel that gun rights may be taken from them, possibly even their concealed weapon permit.” In the meantime, women like Boyle will probably continue to insulate the gun business from the recession. “Once I get my license, I don't think I'll carry my gun on my person every day,” she said. “But when I'm out on a walk at night, or in a park, I probably will. It's a protection issue. And now that I'm doing it, all my friends are interested, too.” Contact Staff Writer Annabelle Robertson at arobertson@theitem.com or (803) 774-1250. [3] | |
| HIST | Date Published: August 16, 2009 Jumping the gun Weapon sales are booming and women are driving the trend Keith Gedamke / The Item Concealed weapon permits have more than doubled in the past two years, going from 30,787 at the end of 2006 to almost 70,000 at the end of December, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. By ANNABELLE ROBERTSON Item Staff Writer arobertson@theitem.com Guns are a blazin'. Throughout Sumter and all around the state, gun sales are soaring and residents are arming themselves in record numbers. According to the State Law Enforcement Division, concealed weapons permits have more than doubled in the past two years, rising from 30,787 at the end of 2006 to almost 70,000 at the end of December. In Sumter, 740 people had active concealed weapons permits in 2006. At the end of 2008, almost 1,700 people did. According to weapons permit instructors, 2009 numbers appear to be even higher. And that doesn't include all the people who are packing who don't have permits. “I've had a dramatic increase in the number of participants in my class – dramatic,” said Dale Atkinson, the Sumter County probate judge and a SLED-certified concealed weapons permit instructor. “Maybe as many as three times the number in previous years. And many of those are women.” Beth Boyle, 22, is one of them. Keith Gedamke / The Item “I don't have my own gun,” said the recent college graduate. “Not yet, at least. I took the class before I had one because I want to own a gun, though. For me, it's for protection. If something ever happened, I want to be prepared.” Boyle, a Sumter native, grew up around weapons. Her grandfather owned and used several firearms, and Boyle and her father had talked about taking a concealed weapons permit course for years. But it wasn't until several robberies took place in her Charleston apartment building that Boyle finally decided to invest in a gun. “Most of my friends are single women,” she said. “We don't have a man who will fight for us if someone breaks in.” CBS' 60 Minutes recently reported that the number of background checks for weapons purchases nationally had jumped more than 30 percent compared to last year. Local gun dealers are seeing evidence of the trend. Tony Ashy, owner of Tony's Gun and Police Supply on U.S. 378, has noticed a huge increase in sales. He estimates he's selling 25 percent to 30 percent more guns and ammunition this year than he was last year – maybe more. “I think it's the economy; that's what I hear from my customers,” he said. “But it's also a lot more women who are buying. The law can't protect them 24 hours a day. The instability in the streets and the crime is rising. And gun sales go up whenever the crime rates go up.” Keith Gedamke / The Item About 60 percent of Ashy's business is from women, he said. The increase began about the middle of last year. Ralph Baker, a range officer at the Manchester Rifle and Pistol Range at Poinsett Park, teaches a National Rifle Association course in gun fundamentals. Baker said women are attending his courses in record numbers, and they all talk about the need for safety. “People are coming to the realization that they must be responsible for their own personal protection,” he said. “Crime is much worse than it was five and 10 years ago, and the gun people have a saying: 'When seconds count, the police are minutes away.' I'm not saying anything bad about the police. They do a very good job. But they cannot be there when a crime is actually occurring.” Jim Montalbano, owner of Jim's Gun Shop on Bultman Drive, has also noticed a rise in sales among women. “People are scared to death, and they're buying these guns to protect themselves,” he said. The trend has created a new niche in the weapons market: pink guns, pink pepper spray and pink paraphenalia – all of which are bolstering sales by giving women more selection to choose from. “The new colors protect women, too,” said Ashy, pointing to a fuchsia Smith & Wesson. “Believe me, no man is going to steal that.” Keith Gedamke / The Item It's all causing a decrease in supply that the dealers are feeling, even as they try to meet market demand. “If we could get what people wanted, business would be great,” Montalbano said. “The day after the election, that's when people came in in droves to buy their Glocks. But the factories didn't know this was going to happen. Now there's a shortage, especially in ammo.” Ashy sells so much ammunition he can't keep it in stock. “You can't find a .38 right now,” he said, holding up a copper bullet. “That's what you use for pocket guns, the ones most people are buying. These bullets used to be $14.95 a box. Now, the retailers that have them are selling them between $30 and $40 a box.” Most sales, the dealers said, are for small guns. About 90 percent of Ashy's sales amount to less than $500. He believes that people simply don't have the cash to buy expensive firearms anymore. And they want something small to conceal. Rumors about taxation on firearms and ammunition – if not an outright ban on handguns by the Obama administration – may also be fueling sales. Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, both of Massachusetts, have talked freely about a 500 percent increase in gun taxes, and President Obama's voting record while he was a senator indicates that he is an advocate of gun control. “There are a lot of people concerned about crime in Sumter,” Atkinson said. “A lot of people want to learn how to protect themselves. And there are those that feel that gun rights may be taken from them, possibly even their concealed weapon permit.” In the meantime, women like Boyle will probably continue to insulate the gun business from the recession. “Once I get my license, I don't think I'll carry my gun on my person every day,” she said. “But when I'm out on a walk at night, or in a park, I probably will. It's a protection issue. And now that I'm doing it, all my friends are interested, too.” Contact Staff Writer Annabelle Robertson at arobertson@theitem.com or (803) 774-1250. | |
| Occupation | owner of Tony’s Gun and Police Supply on Highway 378 [3] | |
| Occupation | owner of Tony’s Gun and Police Supply on Highway 378 [3] | |
| _UID | D470725EBF4F4817B9D324056DF859A29638 | |
| _UID | D470725EBF4F4817B9D324056DF859A29638 | |
| Person ID | I245265 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 29 Oct 2023 | |
| Father | ASHY | |
| _UID | 02B625AEB7A44A97A7FDF0B65D595CBDE0BE | |
| _UID | 02B625AEB7A44A97A7FDF0B65D595CBDE0BE | |
| Family ID | F165622 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Debbie WEIBLE | |
| _UID | B2B16C563E1C404795AFD435578A18A8F424 | |
| _UID | B2B16C563E1C404795AFD435578A18A8F424 | |
| Family ID | F225172 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified | 23 May 2022 | |
| Sources |
