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Shooting range at Larry's Pistol and Pawn in Huntsville, (Challen Stephens / cstephens@al.com)

Alabama, unlike the rest of the country, is experiencing a second run on guns.

While most Southern states have seen interest recede to 2012 levels, FBI firearm background checks soared across Alabama this fall.

The spike follows a new Alabama law, adopted on Aug. 1, which allows 18- to 21-year-olds to apply for concealed carry permits. The same law also limits the ability of sheriffs to deny such permits. But gun sellers say they don't see a direct connection to the law, beyond publicity and awareness.

"I think maybe it's more of the guns that were hard to get are back in," said Larry Barnett, owner of Larry's Pistol & Pawn in Huntsville. Nearby, a team of roughly a dozen employees were busy helping shoppers choose guns early on a Friday morning.

He said his store never saw a slowdown, other than the normal seasonal change for summer weather. "Gun sales go down. People don't shoot as much."

Alabama had led the entire nation late last year, seeing a 145 percent jump in FBI background checks after President Obama won re-election and after the Sandy Hook shooting.

By summer, sales appeared to level off. The number of background checks in Alabama fell to roughly 28,000 in June, marking the lowest total on the year. That number was up just 7 percent over June of last year. It seemed the rush was over in Alabama.

But it turns out this fall Alabama is once again leading the nation when it comes to buying guns.

Alabama saw 55 percent more background checks in August of 2013 than August of 2012. Only Utah saw a slightly bigger rise year-over-year at 58 percent for August. No other states came close to those two.

Most states – including neighbors like Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi – went in the opposite direction, seeing fewer background checks in August of 2013.

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Brad Williamson, who owns Quint's Sporting Goods in Saraland near Mobile, said he thinks the sales are simply a continuation of gun-buying that started five years ago after Obama's first election.

"We're a gun culture. We love our guns," Williamson said. "My customers seem to be very in tune with politics. They're scared, really. ... I can't pinpoint it down to a specific law."

Every single state saw an increase in background checks after Obama's re- election. But the nationwide run on guns lost momentum in most places. More than half of the states saw fewer background checks this August than August of last year. Same goes for September.

Alabama's buying frenzy after Obama's re-election stretched well into March. But buyers eventually encountered picked-over selections and jacked-up prices. Alabama gun stores ran out of ammunition and had to begin limiting purchases per customer.

In August, the new state law kicked in. In August, background checks surged.

The new state law included a little provision asking sheriffs to run the the FBI checks for permits, which Chief Deputy Chris Stephens in Madison County said some sheriff departments may not have relied on before. He said that would explain some of the increase. But he called it part of a "perfect storm."

Stephens, like gun shop owners, said there remains widespread concern

about possible gun control restrictions.

And Stephens, also agreeing with gun shop owners, said publicity over the state law is driving increased interest in guns, as background checks were already up 24 percent in July, before the new provision took effect.

Plus, pistol permit applications themselves also rose year-over-year for August and for September.

Nelson Wingo, who owns Campbell Hardware and Sporting Goods in Robertsdale, still looked to federal influences over state law. He said he thinks Obama has helped sales nationwide. But he said he doubts sales will continue at the same pace.

"I'm assuming it will level off unless there's another big emergency in the country," he said. "People are still afraid. They don't know what this administration is going to do."

But in Alabama, checks continue to climb.

The FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, requires licensed gun sellers to call and check that a customer doesn't have a criminal background or isn't otherwise ineligible to buy a gun. The data is not a perfect match with sales, as states have different requirements and some customers are denied. And approved individuals can buy more than one firearm.

But FBI checks do indicate interest in buying firearms.

And background checks in Alabama rose 63 percent for September over September of last year.

Only one state saw a bigger jump than Alabama. Maryland saw a staggering 421 percent increase in background checks in September, as buyers scrambled to stay ahead of the restrictive Maryland Gun Safety Act, which took effect on Oct. 1.

For comparison, California finished a distant third, with just a 32 percent increase in September 2013 over September 2012.

Meanwhile, background checks are falling year-over-year in states like Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nebraska, Maine and West Virginia. Most Southern states, other than Florida and Alabama, are seeing relatively flat numbers this fall.

Barnett and other gun shop owners pointed out that, while they can apply for a concealed carry permit, teenagers and 20-year-olds still cannot buy pistols. "I can't sell a handgun to anyone under 21," said Barnett.

When shown the increase in pistol permits and background checks, Barnett suggested that the new state law may have created a greater awareness. And the publicity itself could have led to the spike.

Barnett also said that he believes many people buy guns as an investment, saying firearms hold value or rise in value over time. "The last five years there's just been a gun run," said Barnett, saying manufacturers have had to expand operations to meet national demand.

One of the many busy clerks at Larry's on a Friday morning bagged up about 15 boxes of assorted ammunition for a man in a polo and prescription sunglasses. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Not unless you can issue a loan," he joked.

Staff writer Brendan Kirby contributed to this report.

Updated at 12:10 p.m. with comment from Chief Deputy Chris Stephens.

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