Patriot Update

Californians just can’t get enough guns and are on a pace to set a new annual record for the number purchased legally.

Experts with the state Department of Justice predict residents will buy 725,000 rifles, pistols and shotguns in 2012, nearly twice the number they purchased five years ago, when 370,628 were acquired.

Over the last decade, annual purchases have increased despite the lackluster economy and a dramatic drop in crime.