Mike Gooch restores a gun at Precision Defense Systems in Athens.

Athens business owner Tony Gooch says a new gun law that takes effect in June will allow him to assemble and sell more guns and his local parts supplier to hire more people.

“It will be good for us because we will sell more and our parts supplier, Rowe Manufacturing, should be able to hire more people in the future,” said Gooch, who owns Precision Defense Systems at 17198 U.S. 72 East.

At his shop, Tony and his sons — Rich and Mike Gooch — assemble the short-barrel, semi-automatic Ultra Tactical Entry gun, which has only been available to law-enforcement officers.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Jeremy Oden and signed into law by Gov. Bob Riley on April 14, will make Alabama the 45th state in the union to allow the sale of short-barrel rifles and shotguns or those with barrels less than 16-inches long. A shorter barrel reduces a gun’s range and disperses ammunition in a wider pattern. Until now, Alabama banned private ownership of such guns.

Although the bill was opposed by the Fraternal Order of Police, which feared the guns might fall into the hands of criminals, Gooch says there are already many smaller, easier to conceal guns available — like the sawed-off shotguns — that have been legal for many years.

Rich said the National Firearms Act of 1934 has for decades allowed private ownership of machineguns, silencers and other firearms classified as Any Other Weapon.

At $1,300 a gun, the 10-inch short-barrel UTE the Gooches assemble is not preferred by criminals, Rich and Tony said.

“People don’t spend that kind of money to rob a 7-11,” Tony said, adding that many law-enforcement officers who patronize his shop privately support the law change.

Randy Hillman, director of the Alabama Association of District Attorneys, opposed the bill and urged law-enforcement officers to do the same. In an e-mail to law-enforcement officers before the bill was passed he said, in part, “These weapons have no legitimate sporting function and will only serve to endanger the lives of law enforcement.”

Last year, the Gooches sold about 20 of the UTEs to buyers in other states, he said. This year, he already has 17 on order by Alabamians — five of those are law-enforcement officers.

He said the UTE is not much different than the 16-inch barrel Ultra Tactical model that he already manufactures and sells.

“The new UTE is shorter and easier to maneuver,” Tony said. “Police officers like it because they can easily get it out of a cruiser and they can maneuver it in a tight place like a trailer during a meth bust.”

He said people use the UTE for home protection and some, including women, like to use a semi-automatic short-barrel for target practice.

“They like the power it gives them,” Tony said.

He said the UTE isn’t a gun you can buy in the heat of the moment.

“It takes about three months,” he said. “You have to provide a mug shot, fingerprints, certification of citizenship, get an FBI background check and pay a $200 tax.”