Seller’s Market
The internet has been abuzz about the potential for new legislation which could violate our Second Amendment rights. After the second debate between Presidential candidates, the current Commander-In-Chief answered this question: “What has your administration done or planned to do to limit the availability of assault weapons?” Obama said this:

“My belief is that, (A), we have to enforce the laws we’ve already got, make sure that we’re keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill. We’ve done a much better job in terms of background checks, but we’ve got more to do when it comes to enforcement…But I also share your belief that weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don’t belong on our streets. And so what I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally. Part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced. But part of it is also looking at other sources of the violence. Because frankly, in my home town of Chicago, there’s an awful lot of violence and they’re not using AK-47s. They’re using cheap hand guns.”

Yes, we need to keep criminals from getting guns. But let’s look at places where you can’t carry a weapon readily as a law-abiding citizen. The UK, Australia, DC, Maryland, California for the most part, and the President’s home state of Illinois (the only state in the country with NO provision for Concealed Carry whatsoever) are good examples, but not all inclusive by any means. Then ponder this: “Because frankly, in my home town of Chicago, there’s an awful lot of violence and they’re not using AK-47s. They’re using cheap hand guns.” How is that gun control working out, Mr. President? Outlaw forks to combat obesity in America, outlaw cars to stop drunk driving, and then we’ll talk. Hardware solutions rarely solve software problems.

As a byproduct of these comments, and a frankly disappointing answer by Governor Romney as well, we’re in the midst of another panic buy. I expected a little of a rush, but as the last one in 2008 was mostly unfounded I hoped the administration would skirt it again, and as an unintended byproduct lessen a gun-buying panic. They didn’t. I’m taking your guns, said the President. Folks, the Second Amendment isn’t so we can hunt, or shoot paper. It’s so we can defend ourselves from tyranny. As a result of these comments, gun enthusiasts are stocking up in anticipation of legislation attempting to take our rights away. I didn’t pay too much attention to it last time, and got smoking deals once supply exceeded demand again a few months later. Frankly, I’m more worried about it myself this time as Obama has nothing to lose if he’s re-elected. It’s not like continuing to screw America is going to cost him a third term…

The night of the debate, we were in the middle of a 3-day Carbine 1 class in Lynchburg, VA. After we wrapped up a night shoot, I caught the buzz on the net about Obama winning meaning losing our guns. Our host happens to own a local gun shop as well as the range, and the next morning his dealer prices on everything had jumped from his distributors. Ammo, guns, you name it. Stripped lowers went from $99 to $160 in some places I found on the Google machine here. Big props to some people (Legion Firearms comes to mind) for saying they won’t jack up prices to take advantage of the potential sacking of the Constitution. It would be nice if some others would follow suit. I don’t begrudge someone for making a buck, but preying on the fears people have against their own government is pretty low. If the last one was any indication, prices on guns and ammo are going to skyrocket again for a few months. If all goes well, hopefully it will go back down. If not, and we face a permanent ban on assault weapons, it’s likely they’ll skyrocket up and in a few decades buying a nice Colt 6920 will be similar to transferrable NFA territory. That’s not something I want to chance, so if you need me, I’ll be ordering more stripped lowers and hi-cap mags. Don’t forget to vote, and join the NRA. Without their support of the Second Amendment, we would already have been left with only 90% of our Bill of Rights.

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