NEW HAVEN (AP):

Applications for gun permits have jumped in Newtown since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which sparked a renewed debate about stricter gun-control laws and a surge in gun sales around the country because of worries about new limits.

Newtown in recent years has issued about 130 gun permits annually. Police say the town received 79 permit applications in the three months since the December 14, 2012 massacre, well over double the normal pace.

"A good percentage of people are making it clear they think their rights are going to be taken away," said Robert Berkins, records manager for the Newtown police.

The increase in applications in Newtown came as firearms sales surged around the country, driven by Washington's new focus on gun control.

Both sides of the debate have been well represented in Newtown, a town of about 27,000. The horror of the massacre inspired a groundswell of gun violence-prevention activism by new local organisations such as Sandy Hook Promise and Newtown Action Alliance.