HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvanians are lining up to buy firearms in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shootings, but dealers say gun owners’ anxiety over a potential gun-control crackdown was driving up sales before the Sandy Hook massacre.

At Staudt’s Gun Shop in Harrisburg, owner Joe Staudt says he sold out his usually large stock of semi-automatic weapons by Wednesday.

Staudt says the surge in firearms purchases reflects buyers’ desire for personal protection and a reaction by gun owners to high-profile calls for new gun-control measures. He says any discussion about gun control must include provisions to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill people.

Sheriffs around the state report a sharp increase in applications for permits to conceal a handgun or carry one in a vehicle.

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