Columbia crime increase raises interest in security-related businesses

Target Masters manager Barry McKenzie looks on as Susan Santoscoy practices at the shooting range on Rangeline. Santoscoy, who lives outside of Columbia, got a gun for sercuity reasons five years ago. She says she feels as a Hispanic woman in Columbia she has to be a little more careful.

Bob Cron bought his wife an unusual gift for Mothers Day—a Smith & Wesson 38 special. The handgun weighs 15 ounces and comes with a crimson laser grip that indicates the point of impact. Cost: $1,000.

Cron, a salesperson for Target Masters, 4141 Rangeline Road, said his gift really isn’t so unusual. “I sold four of these to women in the past few weeks,” he said.

Such purchases may reflect a growing concern among citizens about the recent rise in violent crimes in Columbia.

The rash of home and business break-ins reported in Columbia also has beefed up interest in home and business electronic security, according to two specialty firms.

Violent crime in Columbia for 2007 was reported to be up 34 percent from 2006. Aggravated assault showed the largest increase, at 38 percent. Rape was reported up 30 percent and robberies up 25 percent.

“I have had people come in and said they have never owned a gun before, but after reading the newspaper about home invasion, they are now considering getting a firearm,” Cron said.

Scott Vankirk of Target Masters helps Susan Santoscoy select a gun for the shooting range located on Rangeline.

Barry McKenzie, Target Masters owner, says husbands often come in to buy their wives guns for Christmas, birthdays or anniversaries. “Women do exactly the same thing,” he said. “It’s a gift that keeps on giving.”

Jim Hill of Bass Pro Shop teaches a class for people with concealed firearm permits. “Four years ago you maybe had half a dozen students per month. Right now we are training about 120 a month,” he said

About 25 percent of those taking the carry training course are women, Hill said. “We are getting a lot of female Realtors and attorneys getting firearms and training,” he said.

Hill attributes the rise in gun sales to a rash of home invasions. “Gun sales are way up because of that,” he said.

But another reason for the increase in gun interest is that customers do not have to go through the sheriff’s office for registration. There is no longer a permitting requirement in Missouri for handgun registration. Buyers must pass a federal background check but can take the gun home the same day, Hill said.

Politics also can be a contributing factor in gun sales, said McKenzie. “When a presidential election is going on, some people are afraid there will be more gun control coming in,” he said. “It’s a real fear with the election, and we probably hear more about that than we do about the crime.”

Gun sales are on the rise at Family Pawn Shop, 915 Business Loop. Other self-protection items they carry include stun guns and pepper sprays.

For those who don’t want to carry a lethal weapon, Target Masters offers a wide selection of pocket stun guns, tasers and pepper sprays, which come in designer colors.

Such weapons are popular in areas, such as the University of Missouri campus, where firearms are not permitted, said Cron. A pocket taser costs about $350. Stun guns sell for about $60. Pepper sprays cost between $10 and $20. Their range is about 13 feet.

Some citizens may consider self-defense training. ATA Black Belt Academy, with three locations in Columbia, has offered three free seminars in self-defense this year, with 20 or more people attending each course.

“We have not seen a huge difference in the number of people coming in for martial arts, but we’ve seen a lot more interest in people coming in for the [self-defense] seminars,” said instructor Mike Rojas.

The CenturyTel Yellow Pages lists about 20 security control equipment and monitoring firms, nine marshal arts instruction businesses and 11 firms selling firearms in Central Missouri.

Rickey Leathers practices shooting his 9mm Ruger
P89 at Target Masters Shooting Range. Leathers
bought the gun 6 months ago for security reasons.

 

Target Masters sells a variety of defense products including tasers, pepper spray and a high-powered flashlight.

The crime issue also is having an impact on companies that provide electronic security for homes and businesses.

Bridgid Miller, owner of August Systems at 124 Nifong Blvd., said interest in her security business is up to its highest level yet in the 11 years she has owned the firm.

“We get calls daily for it, especially camera systems or recording devices that allow you to view a home or office them from off site. We have more requests for that than ever before,” she said.

Brian Marema, owner of Command Security and Sound, 2011 Chapel Plaza Court, said people “are a lot more conscious of their security. The biggest increase that I have seen is in closed-circuit camera systems for businesses. Everything we have now is digital. Depending on the size of the hard drive and number of cameras, we have systems that can record for six months or more,” he said.

If there’s an incident you can set the date range on the system, burn the surveillance footage onto a disk and give it to authorities, he said.
A typical business security systems, especially in a gas station or convenience store, includes a silent panic button, which sends a holdup signal to police.
One new device is a small, inclusive wireless system that is not attached to walls, making it ideal for rental properties, he said.

“Crime is growing,” said Miller. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m sure it’s due to our population growth. I’ve had more conversations with potential customers than ever before.”

“Twenty years ago I don’t think people locked their doors as much,” said Marema. “I definitely think it is a concern.”