Thanks for contacting us. We’ve received your submission.
EL CAJON, California — Customers packed Cory Gautereaux’s small gun store northeast of San Diego on a recent Friday afternoon.
Many of the people buying pistols at Firearms Unlimited California said they were concerned about the massive number of migrants being released onto the local streets after the area became a hub for the crisis at the border — which is just 25 miles from El Cajon, a Southern California suburb of 105,000 people.
“My wife and I have had home defense guns for many years. Recently, though, with all the stuff that’s happening south of the border and all the people coming over, my concerns have broadened,” said Keith Carnevale, one of the shop’s customers, who’s armed his entire family.
“I don’t think it’s just the people that are coming over to try to find work, I think we have a lot of hostile people that are coming over with ill will, ill intent that will potentially cause chaos.”
Roughly 125,000 migrants have been released onto the streets in the San Diego area since September, which has been unsettling for Firearms Unlimited California owner Cory Gautereaux and his customers.
After Texas worked to seal off large swaths of its border with Mexico with razor wire and boots on the ground, more migrants started making their way to California.
The Border Patrol saw a daily average of 1,200 migrants crossing into the San Diego region illegally during the week ending on Feb. 4, while some of Texas’ busiest sectors averaged just hundreds of crossings during that time period, according to government data obtained by CBS News.
In Texas’ Del Rio border area, migrant apprehensions dropped to 200 a day the week of Feb. 4 — compared to the 2,300 daily crossings in December.
“The problem for people that live around the gun store is the street dropoffs,” Gautereaux said.
The US Border Patrol has begun busing migrants who claim asylum into the community and releasing them onto the streets, he said.
“That’s driven business to us,” he added.
Keith’s son, Anthony Carnevale, who came with him to buy a gun of his own, said the area is just not equipped to handle the huge numbers of street releases.
“That’s driven business to us,” he added.
“I don’t think it’s just a matter of the numbers of undocumented people, I think a lot of people are concerned about the state of our own government to be just allowing this and why,” Anthony said.
Local Sharie Finn told The Post that the border issue “1,000%” plays a role in her decision to buy a gun, pointing to the Glock pistol in her bag.
Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.
Please provide a valid email address.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use
and Privacy Policy.
Never miss a story.
She and her husband, Wally, run an organization that helps families find their missing loved ones — some of whom have been victims of predators who were in the country illegally.