2012 a record year for gun background checks

TULSA - The year 2012 will go down in history for record background checks on guns, as firearm sales across the nation and here in Oklahoma continue to climb.

At the U.S. Shooting Range in Tulsa, managers say even ammunition is hard to keep in stock.

READ: 'Tulsa gun carry permits double since November' (http://bit.ly/Tulsaguns)

"Well, you have the holidays, you always sell a lot of guns around the holidays. You have the election that happened, which drives gun sales, and then of course the tragedy on top of that," said co-owner Larry Cheatham.

READ: 'Obama wants gun violence measures passed in 2013' (http://bit.ly/Obamagun)

New numbers from the FBI show the agency processed nearly 2.8 million gun background checks in December, wrapping up a record year. Here in Oklahoma -- the FBI ran nearly 368,000 firearm background checks. In December, the agency ran 60,000 in Oklahoma.

"I think the public is running afraid, they're never going to be able to get their hands on it again, so they're running in a frenzy trying to get the guns and get the ammo," said Lee Jenkins, a local gun owner.

Many gun owners like Jenkins say they're happy to submit to background checks if it keeps guns out of the wrong hands.

Gun owners who buy guns at federally licensed stores go through background checks. But many guns sold at gun shows and private sales don't.