Some San Jose residents are taking matters into their own hands and arming themselves.
One gun store owner says his sales have quadrupled in the past few months.
He showed NBC Bay Area a stack of applicants who want to buy a gun at the Gun Exchange in San Jose.
Owner Mike Fournier said buyers are telling him the reason they are arming themselves is the fact that the city of San Jose has fewer cops and a rising crime rate.
"We’re in a very violent society now. Way too much crime. Way too many gang bangers, I guess you call them," Fournier said.
He says most of the recent sales are to a customer the store describes as a "non-traditional gun buyer."
"We’re getting women. Lots of girls, lots of old ladies coming in buying their first guns. Sixty-year-old women buying a gun for the first time," Fournier said.
Fournier says that ammo is in such demand he is rationing it. Customers can only buy one box at a time because the store can't keep it on the shelves. Pepper spray is another very hot item, according to Fournier.
The spokesman for the San Jose police department said the increase in sales is a concern to police.
Officer Albert Morales added its unfortunate that people don't feel safe in San Jose. He also had a warning to buyers: There are liability and responsibility issues that go with owning a gun.
"If you’re not trained to use a firearm, there are implications if you use that firearm in an unsafe manner and innocent lives hang in the balance,” Morales said.
San Jose has had three homicides so far in 2013. The city ended 2012 with 46 homicides within the city limits.
