I wasn't going to post a follow-on to my 'Hope at last' posting, but comments left on it have changed my mind.
In that post I expressed my fear for the safety of President-elect Obama. I put that fear into context by stating the fact that the US is a violent country. I also stated the fact of the extent of gun ownership.
Comments on the post took us into the whole gun control debate, although that wasn't the point of the post.
However, as we were taken there I thought I'd draw your attention to a report I've just been reading on the surge in gun buying in response to Barak Obama's election.
A few lines from it:
"I was selling guns before I even opened the door," said George Horne, owner of The Gun Room. "It's gone completely mad. Everyone is buying everything I've got on the shelves. Sales have been crazy."
One customer left with two new assault rifles and said he had already bought 30 weapons since Obama began his campaign for president. "And look at this," he said, unwrapping a black rifle from a plastic cover. "I'm not talking BB guns."
Jerry Stehman told an endless wave of customers at his Jerry's Outdoor Sports store in Grand Junction to come back in two hours to pick up their firearm purchases. For the past 10 days, Stehman said, customers have been gathering cases of ammunition and multiple guns.
And here's how they view their President-elect:
The Grand Junction pawnshop is decorated with bumper stickers: "Obama 08" with hammers and sickles on each end, "Obama for President of Afghanistan" and "Don't Be a Victim. Buy a Gun."
"We don't know where this character is coming from or what he's gonna do to us," Stehman said of Obama. "But I can tell you it's been good for business."
Buying weapons is almost as easy as buying groceries:
By midday Wednesday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's "Insta- Check" background check — required for the sale of a firearm and typically about 8 minutes long — was jammed with waits lasting more than two hours..
The quotes are from this article.
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3 comments:
I hope you don't think this is a run up to some sort of armed insurrection. Rather, these buyers know that when Democrats take office weapons and ammunition become scarce and expensive in the wake of new bans on different makes and models. Since you never know what is going to get banned makes sense to buy them now.
"I think it's a legitimate concern. Democrats typically want to pass more gun legislation, and now you've got a House, Senate and Democratic president, so it seems likely we will see more gun regulation."
Also, shrewd investors have made big $$ selling weapons manufactured before the ban. Anyone who has a shotgun that holds 15 rounds will tell you they made a killing (pardon the pun) when Clinton banned them in '94.
Lastly, "assault weapon" is a meaningless term coined by politicians and used by journalist to mean "scary guns that I don't know anything about".
I hope you don't think this is a run up to some sort of armed insurrection
No, not at all Duffy. In fact I would guess that many, even most, of the weapons will never be fired. But why do people feel the need to have over 30 high powered weapons around the house, as the guy quoted did?
I'd guess that some are collectors, others are speculators and some are indeed, crazy. I'd put the breakdown at 30%, 65% and 5% respectively.
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