Doug Williamson has no­ticed a change over the past year.

The owner of The Gun Shop­pe at Chantilly Corners, Wil­liamson says said he's seen a marked increase in customer in­terest about concealed carry permits (which are issued by the county) and pistols that are sized to carry on the body.

"My clients on the east side of town are seeing an increase in what they call 'home invasions.' The community they live in, these things are happening to their neighbors, so it concerns them. We get questions about 'what can we do, how can we ad­dress this?'"

His answer is, generally, that people need to be aware of their surroundings and live defen­sively.

"You can't carry a cop with you everywhere you go," Wil­liamson said, so he stresses with personal safety some pretty ba­sic, common-sense kinds of things. "Most guys (would-be as­sailants) are opportunists look­ing for the path of least resis­tance." The least resistance can be something as simple as talk­ing on the cell phone while walk­ing through a parking lot.

"We don't take the attitude that everybody needs to have a gun. For some people, a nonle­thal tool like pepper spray or a Taser is the best option." Electric stun devices like the Taser are the only non-lethal de­fense mechanisms that require a federal background check.

Williamson said there is more counseling that goes into the first-time gun buyer's expe­rience with the Gun Shoppe than at other places. Among oth­er things, Williamson asks a po­tential first-time owner if they intend to keep the weapon in the house, carry it around with them, or leave it in their vehicle. Lifestyle concerns include whether the buyer has children at their home or have domestic help.

"One responsibility of the firearms purchaser is to educate themselves about what is re­quired of the weapon," William­son said. "We tell them there are certain things you need to know, and we help them de­termine what level of competen­cy they need."

"We're a specialty gun shop," Williamson said. "We accommo­date each individual in a very personal atmosphere." William­son prides himself on his ability to assess needs and deliver the proper service to each and every client.

"I grew up in a day when you went to a shop and people helped you make intelligent choices. We take the experience we've got, and the training, and use that to be able to guide our cus­tomers," Williamson said.

The Gun Shoppe offers its customers sales of new and used handguns, rifles and shotguns. It operates a consignment busi­ness for its clients and also maintains an online store where customers can have direct ac­cess to the distributor.

"As a smaller shop, we can't have one of everything in stock," Williamson said. Then again, at the larger stores, "there's less an opportunity to relate to people on a personal level."

Williamson counsels the newer gun buyer and discusses details with the more seasoned, experienced firearms aficiona­dos. He said he enjoys that per­sonal connection a great deal, and it leads to better purchases for customers, and a better repu­tation as a business.

"We run the gamut here. I or­der $3,000 custom pistols for peo­ple but I also carry a $300 Walth­er . . . It's not about money. Everything we offer in the store, it's quality merchandise and has a track record of good serv­ice and reliability."

"We had a group of custom­ers and a client base developed at the previous location on Coli­seum Boulevard. Now that we're out east, we see people from Cecil, Mathews and Pike Road that we might not have seen before." And building a cli­ent base in this relatively small market is crucial.

"We're here for the long haul," Williamson said of he and his wife. "This is a passion for me, I'm doing what I want to do."