TTAG’s Martin Albright wrote the following comment underneath his piece on the possibility of an assault weapons ban: “I wonder when the anti-gunners will realize that every time they demand a gun ban, it sells guns. And the more guns you put in people’s hands, the more difficult it will be to enforce any future laws (it’s a lot easier to make a law prohibiting something people don’t own than it is to confiscate something that they do own).” True to form, as we indicated this weekend, America’s gun stores are slammed. Hundreds of thousands of consumers are voting against an AWB with their wallets. “It’s 2008 all over again,” a customer at my LGS said, referring to the pre-Obama sales surge. “No it’s not,” the owner said. “It’s worse.” As Martin might ask, don’t you mean better?

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35 COMMENTS

  1. For a Monday morning my local gun store was packed around 11am and all their ARs were out on display and half of the higher quality ARs on the wall were gone. Checked the usual online ammo sites and the target 223/556 are all out of stock….

  2. Yup, ordered Diamondback’s brand new DB15 yesterday, in Flat Dark Earth, along with 5 Magpul 30 round magazines, in a matching Flat Dark Earth. I certainly didn’t need another AR at the moment, but given the grim outlook and determination of the present Ruling Class, easy decision to “pull the trigger” this weekend. Boehner has zero backbone, which is the last piece of the puzzle.

  3. It’s worse that people are often buying out of fear that future laws will restrict or eliminate their rights to own certain categories or all guns. It is better that more Americans are buying guns (politically there is still strength in numbers to some degree)* and those that already own guns are buying a few more to complement the ones they have.

    * Until some future time when the rights of Americans to vote and not re-elect a politician they do not like are done away with leaving Americans to vote what color car they want.

    • “…it’s a lot easier to make a law prohibiting something people don’t own than it is to confiscate something that they do own”

      It’s never stopped our progressive ‘betters’ from trying before. Why would it now?

  4. The people journalists hang out with don’t buy guns. They think that only psychopathic killers go get one when they want to kill some 6 years olds. I love a busy gun store. Nothing better.

  5. The other point to this is the money being sent to the gun rights groups to help in these legal issues. Every time a troll like mikeyb or hmmmmmmjob posts a comment here i see people writing checks to SAF and NRA.

    Hell, I have no more room in my gun safe. I would rather write checks to gun rights groups than to my LGS.

  6. It’s encourageing to see so many people feel the need to get with the program, but IF the hoplophobes have their way I doubt the new AWB will grandfather any of these weapons. We need to win the legislative battle.

  7. I caved.

    Bought a colt 6920 and 6 pmags 2 hours ago. The stores were nuts, visited two. No ammo at either one.

  8. It might be prudent to wait a bit to see how things shake out. I’m holding off a few weeks. Better to pay a bit more than to loose everything. I have a feeling any gun legislation will make understanding the health law seem easy. It will be ambiguous as possible and “open to interpretation”. Grandfathering could go either way. I’m feeling nauseous. I wrote to the Washington Worms that “represent” me, but I feel like I’m shouting in the dark with them. F

      • Saw an article in American Rifleman about a zillion years ago that said the number of guns in possession of Americans is closer to 650 million. The lower numbers (appx. 300 mil.) are due to several reasons but I only remember one of them: Guns last a long time. WWII weapons are still shooting fine, thank you. I have relatives with old S&W .38 specials from the 30’s and 40’s that have hardly been shot, but these inherited guns are kept loaded and ready.

        I believe the number may be even higher. Between my nephew and myself we have 2 guns for every member of the family and I only have 3 (but I’m looking for a Gen 4 model 19 and donations are accepted).

  9. When you shoot the king you better kill the king. It might be that this is going to be real bad for the grabbers. I’d like to see a lawsuit against the bradys & co’s for the facilitation of criminal safe zones. I’m no lawyer & don’t know if this can be done. I hope that the anti’s have shot their shot & old Wayne is loading up his .410 Judge, I don’t think he’ll miss, Randy

  10. This may be the smartest thing she has ever said. Funny when people don’t surround themselves with the left they actually become more intelligent.

    • Dave, I don’t see any she as the piece author. I,m new here & may not have the hang of the posting. Your post was right after mine. Were you refering to me? Randy

  11. Take a kid that parents, teachers and administrators know is a bizarre child. Add many hours of violent video games daily. Add a Mother who teaches him how to shoot and then supplies him access to multiple firearms. And the solution is not allowing me to buy an AR-15. Whatever.

  15. I guess this means I won’t be getting that Kel Tec Sub 2000 any time soon. Drat. I really want one in .40 S&W but these things are as scarce as fairy dust, especially in Crazyfornia legal form.

  16. I hope you folks realise that your ammo is now worth more than your firearms and alot easier to Fence on the open market. I have relocated what little I have to a different secure area.

  17. Man I am about six months late in starting a manufacturing business!
    I could be raking it in and paying my bills right about now!!!

    • My question is, given the surge in demand has pulled so much supply forward, when do we settle out? With many online retailers and manufacturers indicating 6mont to indefinite order backlogs for lowers, uppers, complete or stripped, how much pent up demand remains? Same goes for ammo. If I bought a complete AR this past weekend, I wouldn’t have been able to put any cash into ammunition at my LGS or online. Anyone care to guess on when supply & demand get back in sync?

  18. Same here in Southern Colorado. LGS – 2 day wait to get your background check done is projected, I could barely find a parking space, everyone was looking at AR’s and high cap magazines.

    I am actually considering getting another bolt action rifle or handgun I want because those might be available after Christmas – maybe since everyone wants the evil black rifles right now.

  19. Love that SC will use a CWP in lieu of an NICS check for pistols. Went to Academy this morning to see what they had, wanted a Windham but they were all out. Had a few AR’s left but not worth a panic buy since I have a couple in the safe already.

  20. I went to the range/big store today around three P.M. to shoot. The form 4473 counter was two and three deep and the AR walls were looking pretty empty. High capacity Springfield XDs were the firearms most being purchased, followed by different types of ARs. Most people in the store I talked to had not time for lunch today.

  21. My question is, given the surge in demand has pulled so much supply forward, when do we settle out? With many online retailers and manufacturers indicating 6mont to indefinite order backlogs for lowers, uppers, complete or stripped, how much pent up demand remains? Same goes for ammo. If I bought a complete AR this past weekend, I wouldn’t have been able to put any cash into ammunition at my LGS or online. Anyone care to guess on when supply & demand get back in sync?

    • Oh, mikey. I know you’re being snarky, but I’m gonna answer you honestly anyway. It’s anecdotal. At my “home gun store & range,” that is, the one that’s closest to me that I frequent most often, I would say that overall about 1/3 of the patrons are female. That said, there are of course days when you walk in there and it’s 100% white males.

      On a related, curious note, I’d also estimate that about 1/3 the people on the range at any given time are from the UK, getting a chance to do something they never get to do at home. It’s a UK population density that I’ve not seen at any other range in the area with any regularity. It’s rare that I’m in there that I don’t hear at least one British accent. On a couple occasions I’ve asked them (both the Brits and the shop guys) if that shop was in a guidebook or something, but it all just seems to be word of mouth among the holiday-makers.

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