PINCKNEYVILLE - John Mann of Mann & Son Sporting Goods has owned and operated his family's gun and sporting goods, which is now 62 years old, store since 1978.

Mann said he is seeing a trend in gun sales similar to 1992, when Bill Clinton won the presidential election.

"It has gone up - no ands, ifs or buts about it. It has gone up," Mann said Thursday, noting that many firearm enthusiasts seem as fearful in the wake of Illinois' Democrat Barack Obama's election as when Clinton, an Arkansas Democrat, won the White House.

They fear bans of certain guns, ammunition or magazines are on the horizon.

Kevin Hicks, manager at the nearby Hicks Trading Station, also in Pinckneyville, said his store has had a 30 percent increase in sales of assault-style rifles and high-capacity handguns.

"Oh yes. We've broken two sales records here this week. Ever since Obama was elected, gun owners are fearful of him banning high-capacity and assault firearms," Hicks said.

Many gun enthusiasts and the National Rifle Association cast Obama as anti-gun during the presidential campaign. The NRA ran advertisements during the campaign saying "Barrack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history."

As an Illinois state Senator, Obama has supported bans on semiautomatic weapons and generally tighter restrictions on firearms, although during the presidential campaign he acknowledged a right to own firearms.

CNN's politics.com Web site reported that Obama did not sign a friend-of-the-court brief that urged the Supreme Court to overturn the District of Columbia gun ban. The ban was lifted in a 5-4 decision, although the court also said government units could impose regulations.

CNN also reported that, when asked about the landmark Columbia vs. Heller case, Obama said he believes "that the Constitution confers an individual right to bear arms. But just because you have an individual right does not mean that the state or local government can't constrain the exercise of that right."

Mann and Hicks are momentarily basking in their current sales boom. With hunting season now getting into full swing, Mann describes it as a "double-dip" with people tracking into his store.

But the gun shop owners and many gun owners keep a close eye on Springfield, where bans, restrictions and taxes on certain guns, magazines and ammunition frequently pop up in proposed legislation.

What's troubling to Mann and Hicks about potential gun bans is shooting-related commerce in Southern Illinois is big because of wide-drawing recreational opportunities such as deer and waterfowl hunting and the renowned World Shooting and Recreation Complex at Sparta.

Statewide, Illinois has several gun makers - including ArmaLite, D.S. Arms, Eagle Arms, Rock River Arms and Springfield Armory � that make it a major player in state industry.

Bans on assault-styled and semiautomatic weapons in general would make an impact on those manufacturers, Hicks said.

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, said he has not aware of any current proposals in the Legislature regarding gun ownership or purchasing.

Phelps is consistently highly rated by the NRA and the Illinois State Rifle Association. He favors a law allowing concealed carry for Illinois citizens, saying states that have enacted laws that allow legal authorization for private citizens to carry handguns or other weapons have lower crime rates.

In a non-binding, advisory referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot, voters in Franklin, Saline, Union and Jefferson counties supported concealed carry for Illinoisans.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

351-5076