Gun Sales in Maryland Rise Before New Law Takes Effect

Bob Arthur has a large shed behind his home on the Eastern Shore. It sits right next to his chicken coop and the American flag that's flying high on a pole over an old swing set. But inside, the shed is filled with dozens and dozens of weapons --everything from pistols and hunting rifles to sawed off shotguns, AK 47s and AR 15s.

Arthur is a licensed gun dealer, and he says business has been booming the last few weeks with customers trying to buy as much ammo and artillery as they can before Maryland's strict gun law goes into effect. But he says, the uptick in business has been happening for a while.

"Ever since last November when the administration got reelected, there's been a big run on guns," he says.

Opponents of the new gun law like Arthur, say the bill will do nothing more than tax gun owners, crush gun sales, and give the government a registry of everyone who has a gun.

Proponents believe adding 45 guns to the list of banned assault weapons, coupled with making the screening process to get a gun more difficult makes, Maryland's law, one of the strictest in the country.

Arthur points to two AR-15s on his wall. They look virtually identical; one has an orange sticker on it, meaning it's on the list of weapons that will be banned under the new law. The other isn't.

"From 10 feet away you'd never know the difference, they operate exactly the same," he says. "They use the same ammunition, it's the same gun"

And while gun enthusiasts believe the law goes too far, some say the law doesn't go far enough. Arthur says he doesn't have time to think about any of that right now, because he has an awful lot of orders to fulfill.