Newton, Connecticut, the tragic setting for the Sandy Hook shootings late last year, is seeing nearly double the amount of gun permit applications this year as compared to the last.

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Newton police report they have received 211 requests for gun permits this years, as compared to 171 requests in 2012, and a mere 99 in 2011. 

Fueled by Connecticut'srenewed focus on gun control, the spike in gun sales and gun permit applications has caused fresh conflict over gun ownership and regulation.“A good percentage of people make it clear that they think their rights are going to be taken away,” said Robert Berkins, records manager for the Newton police, in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Local anti-gun organizations created in response to the Sandy Hook massacre like Sandy Hook Promise and Newton Action Alliance are clashing with the prevalent and long-held gun culture in Newton, Connecticut, home of the National Shooting Sports Foundation trade association.

On August 9th, gun owners across the nation held a Starbucks Appreciation Day to show support for the coffee company’s policy of complying with local gun control laws about openly carrying guns in stores, and showed up to their local stores with holstered weapons.

In Newton, 30 gun owners gathered at a local Starbucks only 1.5 miles away from the Sandy Hook massacre site, causing unrest among the local residents.

“Our community is still healing and we find it reprehensible that they are picking newton to rally,” said a spokesperson for Newton Action Alliance to NBC.

Despite the grievances of Newton’s citizens, requests for gun permits are still on the rise, in reaction to proposals for universal background checks and bans on certain kinds of firearms. 

“It's just the mentality of people when you tell them that something is going to be banned, well they want to get one while they still can," said Victor Benson, the owner of a gun shop near Newton, Connecticut, according to the Huffington Post. "We're all upset about what happened in Newton, but it doesn't mean we want to have our rights taken away."

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