The magazine at the center of the terror attacks in France two weeks ago is being sold in the United States, including at a newsstand in San Diego.
The French satirical newspaper hit American newsstands Friday.
NBC News has decided not to show the controversial cover showing the Prophet Mohammed carrying a sign that says in French, "I am Charlie." Twenty-thousand copies will be offered in the United States, according to LPMI, a distributor of foreign magazines and newspapers in the U-S and Canada.
Copies of Charlie Hebdo got to the North Park newsstand Friday afternoon. The manager, Ken Gabbara, said it has been flying off the shelves. He ordered 200 copies and had has already sold half.
Gabbara expects he has enough to get through the weekend and will evaluate to see if he needs to order more on Monday. Gabbara said he is not worried about negative feedback.
“We're doing it for the sake of history. People want a little piece of history," he said. "I carry like over 4,000 magazines in here. There's a lot of things that I agree and disagree with but it's for people's choices. If they want to read about it, we give them the opportunity.”
Bijan Izadi, who purchased a copy of the magazine, said he wanted to read the magazine.
“If you are not able to speak freely and if other people are infringing on that and threatening your life for that reason it's not right," Izadi said.
This shipment of 20,000 to the United States follows a shipment of 300 that made it to major cities like San Francisco and New York. Copies are sold for $12.99 plus tax.
