Our top story and Midday Edition, are you getting a got for Christmas? It seems like a lot of San Diegans are through the paces sales and local gunshots. The desire to buy a weapon is one reaction people are having to the recent terror attacks another and opposite reaction are people taking action to end gun violence in America several San Diego churches will be joining in a nationwide got Sabbath this weekend. We will start our discussion with Bryan Howes vice president and owner of Wilde built tactical. Ryan, thanks a lot for joining us. Do we have Brian? Okay. Let me do something here. Let me reverse my conversation. My conversation now goes to's deep archer. He's a drug violence prevention coordinator. Steve complementary program. Thank you, Ray. It is a pleasure to be here. Back in most churches don't have a gun violence prevention or later. This come about at the Fellowship? What we did was, after Sandy hook, the social action group there decided that we really need to look at this. I stepped up and said look this is really significant for me. My background is on 15 May 2010, a nephew Kyle was at his grandfather's house. He was killed by a gun. There is a question about whether it is self-inflicted or whether it was suicide. Regardless of that, that happened 2010. In 2012, Sandy hook. It was a watershed moment promote most of us. I stepped up and said look this is really important for me. I want to do this. I guess I'm kind of invented the guy violence prevention coordinator name and did some of the things. That is the Genesis. Back what you doing this decision? Well my primary position is to reach out for gun violence prevention. I have a resource all the different groups that are associated with good violence prevention. Smart gun laws, I'm also on the board of the San Diego County Brady foundation. In that capacity, you can come to me and asked me various questions. I installed with all the data. But one of the other things was because the new town foundation in conjunction with these United and several other organizations at the time began to realize they needed to have some kind of good focus on gun violence prevention. That's what was it established, guess what guys to really start the seventh weekend. This is the third annual one. That is between 9 December 13th of December this year. Is in conjunction with the third anniversary of the gun violence that was at Sandy hook. No usage of the damage of guide Sobieski little bit about that. This is in conjunction with the nationwide gun violence prevention Sabbath issue mentioned. Thomas about the significance behind this we can schedule. What are some of the statistics that you think most people to take part in this whole movement to a gun violence? That's a really good question. Many of us who are involved in this thing can come up and give you 30,000 lives a year, 88 lines per day, holiday gun violence that. There have been 300 There have been 335 mass shootings this year. We talk about the number of deaths. Those are significant issues. On those have come to the decision we stand relative to gun violence and went I would like to emphasize is that national vision is an opportunity for us to move from compassion to help. Compassion for those lives lost, and going to help so we can see options for us to take in the future. Let me stop you there, Steve. You are going to stay with us in the studio. I think that we have a Bryan Howes on the phone with us now. He's vice president and owner of treatment eight. Brian, --. -- I've been talking about the two different governments with experience in the United States and internationally. One of them has to do with gunshots in the business, the kinds of business that gunshots are doing. Let me ask you what has businessmen like since the terror test last week in San Bernardino? That it has been out. We have seen a sharp increase in purchases all across the board. Back to this also spike after the attack in Paris? We were also seeking an increase due to Black Friday deals and spending due to Christmas, but it is hard to discern which cost. But it is bigger than you normally send? Yes ma'am. What type of weapons have they been buying particularly? It is spread evenly across the spectrum. Semiautomatic rifles, things of that nature? All of the above. Okay. When you go into a shop you don't always buy something, you don't always have a conversation with customers. Our customers 20 when he went a weapon down? We had conversations. We are a small business. We like to get to know our customers. There is a time in the air that is split to waste. Some of it has to do with legitimate self protection needs, and part of it has to do with deflation. So our concern that some of these might spark further gun restrictions? Yes, that seems to be part of the buying frenzy peak People are afraid that there will be restrictions in place. These people have these purchases undermined for some time. They are using this as an opportunity to make it out before they cannot get it or before a potential price increase. Are many of the folks coming in the shop is time gun owners? No, we see a lot of repeat customers, they know their weapons very well. They've had great experience with firearms throughout their lives, and they've had their idea that particular rifle or pistol. They are just going to make it now before Christmas, before me your copy for anything gets worse. Your gun shop is required to run back rounds -- background checks. Have you ever had a customer you were leery of selling to? Absolutely. What have you done? We did not sell. I give our employees carte blanche to deny any sale for any reason at any time. There are Spidey sense goes often something doesn't go right, we reserve the right to refuse service anytime any reason. And we done so on many occasions. What triggers that Spidey sense? Predominantly what we see is a straw purchase, it will be, when a third party or an agent is petitioned by a prohibited person to purchase a firearm on their behalf. The intended recipient of the gun, they know their prohibited and will have the background check. Get a friend, colleague, or relative to come into our store and make a purchase. That is a predominantly where we deny. I appreciate your time, Brian. I've been speaking with Bryan Howes, he's president and owner of Wilde Built Tactical. Thank you for having me. Back in the studio with Steve Bartram. We're talking about a vigil that will be taking place this weekend here in San Diego. It is with the aim of ending that find gun violence in the United States. Steve, as you know, we were talking with the gun shop owner in La Mesa California has one of the strongest gun laws. If we have the massacre in San Bernardino. Two couples were? You're asking a really significant question. I want to comment Brian for his type of behavior. It turns out that that is the kind of behavior that generally we always see. And he mentioned a couple of things that are very important. One of those is that someone else comes into my gun someone else, here in California we have very good gun laws. They keep us safe. But despite all that, we still have episodes like we had in San Bernardino. The question is it always goes back to the very beginning. And says what is an acceptable limit of confidence gun death? When you go to the crux of it the answer is zero. How can you do that? We tried to do the same thing with automobiles. We have a culture here in the United States that supports weapons. So we have to live with that. I think that what I would like to try to recommend is that we do things like support HR 3411 which is currently in the House of Representatives and is being considered. It is the Brady Bill which will then close out on a national level only God loopholes -- Garnet -- gun loopholes. It would prevent you from taking the across state lines. Gun restrictions to get some people concerned and want to buy guns before the guns will be prevented from being able to be purchased. What you say to people who are concerned about this restriction on their second amendment rights? I have to go back to my history. I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps. Qualified, I am proud of the fact that I was qualified with a lot of weapons. I would just say it is the old Star Wars axion, fear leads to hate, and he leads to the dark side. In this case, I have not wanting to take anyone's got away from them, I just don't want the wrong people to have them. Will have that fear, they can rest assured that I am here to honor those lines that have been lost due to gun violence and we will honor them on Sunday the 13th at and we will honor them on Sunday the 13th at 4:30 PM. But we will move to the place where we can find common ground and overcome this fear the joining the people that say I am afraid you are going to take my gun away from the. No, I'm not going to take anyone's got away from them. We just let them to be safe with input from a car. Use individual take place this Sunday. And you tell us where and when. That yes. I know you posted this on the website. It will be held this Sunday, December 13, from 5 PM to 6 PM in the amphitheater. We have a beautiful campus. It's entitled compassion withheld, you can go to you you FS.org. -- uufs.org We will start gathering about 4:30 PM. Dress warm comfort your singing voice, there will be hot chocolate and hot tea to be served. Okay. Once again this is presented by treatment. I have been sticky -- gun violence prevention coordinator 11 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito . I've been speaking with Steve Bartram gun violence prevention coordinator on with Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito . Thank you, Steve. Inc. you.
Vigil to End Gun Violence
What: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Joins Nationwide Vigil to End Gun Violence
When: 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: UUFSD amphitheater, 1036 Solana Drive in Solana Beach
The San Bernardino shooting has sparked mixed reactions about guns in San Diego — some were moved to buy guns, others organized vigils to call for an end to violence.
At Wilde Built Tactical in La Mesa, owner Bryan Howes said he saw a "massive" uptick in gun sales the day after the San Bernardino shooting that left 14 dead.
"I'd say 50 percent of customers are buying guns for self-defense, the rest are customers who have been thinking about making a purchase for a while, but now they're hearing politicians call for gun control," Howes said.
Howes said he and his employees choose who to sell guns to.
“We deny any sale for any reason at any time,” he told KPBS Midday Edition on Tuesday. “If something doesn’t feel right, we reserve the right to refuse service for any reason.”
For example, if an employee feels a gun is being purchased for someone who would not pass the background check, the employee would refuse to sell the gun.
But not everyone thinks gun ownership is the answer.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito in Solana Beach is hosting a public vigil Sunday that is part of a nationwide effort to stop gun violence.
RELATED: San Diego Responds To San Bernardino Shootings
Steve Bartram, gun violence prevention coordinator at the Unitarian church, said he became an activist after his nephew was killed by a gun in 2010. He was further motivated to help end gun violence after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and six adults dead.
“It was a watershed moment for us,” Bartram said. “The national vigil is an opportunity for us to move from compassion to hope.”
The event will mark the third anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
A group called Moms Demand Action is also holding a walk Saturday at Balboa Park to honor the lives lost to gun violence. Participants are being asked to wear orange, the color hunters wear to stay safe.
About 30,000 Americans are killed by firearms annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.