People buy guns more frequently in Mendocino County than nearly any other part of California, according to data released last week by the California Department of Justice.

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About 34 guns were sold per 1,000 people each year since 2001 in the forested and rugged North Coast county. Only six counties ­— all rural and located in Northern California — registered higher rates of gun sales. Shasta County topped the list, with about 65 guns sold annually per 1,000 people during the period.

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Firearms sales jumped after the June 12 mass shooting that killed 49 people and injured at least 50 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Background checks of people trying to buy guns climbed 40 percent in June and July of this year compared to last year, according to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

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Also popular are semi-automatic assault rifles like the AR-15, Ostrom said. Often touted as the most popular gun in the country, the AR-15 is easy enough that “My grandpa that’s 88 years old and my daughter that’s 9 years old, both can shoot it,” he said.