Intimidator Sports sees an average of 100-120 people a day, and is busy like almost every other store in the country that sells guns.

Owner Tim Nelson said his store in Nedrow, N.Y. gets customers who range from 18-80 years of age, and they are all talking about the proposed regulations on firearms.

“Every customer that comes in says the same thing,” Nelson said. “They’re tired of the government trying to put controls on things and they’re very frustrated.”

In the wake of a string of mass shootings during the past few months, the issue of gun control is once again a topic of conversation across the country, including in New York, the Syracuse area and Syracuse University.

In July, a gunman killed 12 people and wounded more than 50 others during a midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo. Among those wounded was Stephen Barton, a 2012 SU alumnus.

On Dec. 14, another gunman killed20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a quiet town at least four SU students call home.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor signed a letter pledging to lead campus discussions on gun violence, and is working with the American Council on Education to develop a policy position for the White House gun violence task force. Vice President Joe Biden, also an SU alumnus, heads the task force.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, along with more than 750 other mayors, signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to take action in December.

Even men’s head basketball coach Jim Boeheim has said his piece about the issue.

“If we in this country, as Americans, cannot get the people that represent us to do something about firearms, we are a sad, sad society,” he said during a press conference after his 900th career victory Dec. 17.

Store owner Nelson said his customers don’t have problems with provisions such as background checks. They’re concerned with measures like one that reduces the maximum clip size to seven, which he describes as a “logistic nightmare.”

He said no manufacturers make those clips right now, and it’s unlikely they would make them just for people living in New York state.

Craig and Chad Hare, owners of Butternut Creek Armory in Jamesville, N.Y., also said they disagreed with the seven-round clip measure.

People who work in private security, Craig said, often have to buy their own equipment, and many guns are made specifically for 10-round clips. Chad added that the store has antique weapons from World War I that only take these clips, thus reducing the value for collectors.

Chad said laws don’t seem to deter criminals from hurting others.

“If somebody wants to do evil, they’re going to do evil,” he said, adding this is something he has experienced first-hand serving overseas.

Impending laws pose several challenges for the business side, too, Chad said.

“If we sell this rifle now, will it be illegal in a week?” he wondered.

Watch: Gun shop owners question effects of gun-control policies

Some political science professors at SU say the gun debate as a whole has shifted slightly, though it’s too soon to tell if substantial policy change will happen.

Kristi Andersen, a political science professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs whose specialties include American politics and public opinion, said this time, the conversation doesn’t seem as dominated by groups with an extreme interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Though the conversation has historically “ebbed and flowed” — often coming up after a shooting — it appears a little “more purposeful” this time, she said, possibly because children were involved in the Newtown, Conn. shooting.

“I think it’s created an attempt by people who are concerned about safety to reframe the conversation a bit in terms of public safety,” she said. “So, you don’t have rights versus take away some rights, we have, yes, we have rights — but as lots of rights that we have as Americans — there are limits.”

The people who want more gun control legislation, seemingly because they have Obama’s support, are in a little bit better position than usual, she said. The quick formation of the White House task force and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy’s talk about legislation during their State of the State addresses also helps keep the story in the media, Andersen said.

Though Andersen noted that the issue is partisan — as almost every other issue now — a majority favors provisions such as background checks and preventing the mentally ill from having guns.

Thomas Keck, chair of the political science department, didn’t seem as sure the current gun debate was significantly different from the past, noting that notorious mass shootings usually prompt calls for legislation.

Keck teaches PSC 324: “Constitutional Law I” and PSC 325: “Constitutional Law II” and has done research on gun rights. He said measures such as extending background checks and training are likely constitutional, but will probably face lawsuits and be decided by courts. But he said this is common for gun control laws.

Federal legislation would be more effective than at the individual state level, he said, noting there’s no border patrols between states.

“It’s very difficult for state and local governments to effectively regulate gun possession,” he said.

Barton, the 2012 SU alumnus wounded in the Aurora, Colo., shooting in July, said he understands that some people don’t want to discuss gun control because the topic introduces thorny issues. But Barton said he thinks we’re reaching a critical point in the discussion.

There seems to be a different reaction following the Newtown, Conn. shooting, he said, speculating this might be due to its horrific nature.

Though Barton said he’s recovering well — his shoulder is regaining strength and he’s slowly recovering from nerve damage in his left arm — he found himself affected by gun violence again five months later, as he lives only about 10 minutes away from Sandy Hook.

It was a strange year, Barton said, because he had never been affected by gun violence before.

He is currently working for Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In this role, he said he’s doing outreach, working with survivors and family members of those affected by gun violence, and doing research and media work for the organization.

“Working on this issue has been empowering and therapeutic, and it’s allowing me to turn what was really a random act of violence into something that really has meaning,” Barton said. “And that can hopefully bring about some positive change in some small way.”

Published on January 16, 2013 at 1:30 am

Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum