Run On Guns As Owners Fear New Regulations

Boom In Gun Sales Reflect Worry About New Democratic President And Democratic Congress

(AP)  When 10-year-old Austin Smith heard Barack Obama had been elected president, he had one question: Does this mean I won't get a new gun for Christmas?

That brought his mother, the camouflage-clad Rachel Smith, to Bob Moates Sports Shop on Thursday, where she was picking out that special 20-gauge shotgun - one of at least five weapons she plans to buy before Obama takes office in January.

Like Smith, gun enthusiasts nationwide are stocking up on firearms out of fears that the combination of an Obama administration and a Democrat-dominated Congress will result in tough new gun laws.

"I think they're going to really try to crack down on guns and make it harder for people to try to purchase them," said Smith, 32, who taught all five of her children - ages 4 to 10 - to shoot because the family relies on game for food.

Last month, as an Obama win looked increasingly inevitable, there were more than 108,000 more background checks for gun purchases than in October 2007, a 15 percent increase. And they were up about 8 percent for the year as of Oct. 26, according to the FBI.

No data was available for gun purchases this week, but gun shops from suburban Virginia to the Rockies report record sales since Tuesday's election.

"They're scared to death of losing their rights," said David Hancock, manager of Bob Moates, where sales have nearly doubled in the past week and are up 15 percent for the year. On Election Day, salespeople were called in on their day off because of the crowd.

Obama has said he respects Americans' Second Amendment right to bear arms, but that he favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he'll at least enact curbs on ownership of assault and concealed weapons.

As a U.S. Senator, Obama voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to lawsuits; and as an Illinois state legislator, he supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons and tighter restrictions on all firearms.

Gun advocates take some solace in the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 this summer to strike down the District of Columbia's 32-year ban on handguns. For now, gun rights supporters hold a narrow edge on the court, but Obama could appoint justices who would swing it the other way.

Franklin Gun Shop outside Nashville, Tennessee, sold more than 70 guns on Tuesday, making it the biggest sales day since the shop opened eight years ago. Guns & Gear in Cheyenne, Wyoming, also set a one-day sales record on Tuesday, only to break that mark on Wednesday.

Stewart Wallin, owner of Get Some Guns in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray, Utah, said he sold nine assault weapons the day after Obama was elected. That same day, the gun store Cheaper Than Dirt! in Fort Worth, Texas, sold $101,000 worth of merchandise, shattering its single-day sales record, store owner DeWayne Irwin said.

One Georgia gun shop advertised an "Obama sale" on an outdoor sign, but the owner took it down after people complained that the shop appeared to be issuing a call to violence against the country's first black leader.

The president of a Montana gun manufacturer stepped down last month after word that he supported Obama led to calls for a boycott of the company.

While Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, attributes some of the sales boom to the tanking economy, he thinks the Democratic sweep is the top reason why guns are suddenly a hot commodity.

"I don't think he'll be able to stand up to that anti-Second Amendment wing of the Democratic party that's just been spoiling for chance to ban America's guns," LaPierre said of Obama.

During the campaign, the NRA warned that Obama would be the "most antigun president in American history." And while Vice President-elect Joe Biden owns shotguns, he has supported a ban on assault weapons and has said private sellers at gun shows should be required to perform background checks.

But Mark Tushnet, a Harvard Law School professor who has written a book about the gun debate, said new firearms regulations will be a low priority for an Obama administration and Democratic Congress facing a global economic crisis and two wars.

"Maybe the gun-show loophole will be closed, but not much else," he said in an e-mail. "I'd be surprised, for example, if Congress enacted a new assault gun ban."

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said his organization will continue to press for what he calls "sensible" restrictions - background checks at gun shows, a ban on military-style assault weapons and cracking down on illegal gun trade. He believes he has the backing of the new administration on those issues, but any fears of a broader crackdown are unfounded.

"The one thing that they agree strongly with us on is that it's too easy for dangerous people to get guns in this country," Helmke said. "I guess if you're a dangerous person you might want to run out there and buy some more, but otherwise you should be OK."

[troutfisher4]

The gun show loophole should be eliminated.

[mainedoggie]

GOOD GOD!!! What will all you loonies do without your guns!

Nobody is going to take your guns from you, so calm down.

[zhynaryll]

I was afraid of Obama''s stand on guns, and nothing he has said or done has changed my mind. If he tried to circumvent the 2nd Amendment, he may find himself faced with a 2nd American Revolution - one he cannot hope to win - and keep the country united!

[dburfears]

What a joke. The NRA has its people so brainwashed they think their guns are going to be taken away. When it does not happen, then what fear tactic will the NRA use to keep their brainwashed moron followers in line?

[erasmus81]

"When 10-year-old Austin Smith heard Barack Obama had been elected president, he had one question: Does this mean I won''t get a new gun for Christmas?"

Ok, that''s PATHETIC!

"Like Smith, gun enthusiasts nationwide are stocking up on firearms out of fears that the combination of an Obama administration and a Democrat-dominated Congress will result in tough new gun laws."

There needs to be tougher gun laws. There are too many whacko nutjobs out there running around with guns. The massive amounts of shootings going on everyday should tell you that!

[idnnsg]

Ain''t it SO NICE for the NRA! As long as they keep their members hopped up on fear, they can sell oodles of guns to them, no matter what the political environment!

Be afraid, be VERY afraid! (not of the democrats, be afraid of these paranoid lunatics with guns!)

Guns are for id.iots. Want proof? More gun owners kill themselves or their family members with their guns than use their guns to defend themselves from an actual attack. Knowing that, they STILL buy them and keep them loaded and ready, waiting for the moment they are struck by deep depression when their truck breaks down, their dog dies, or their girlfriend "does it" with their best friend.

[rheola-2009]

Posted by IDNNSG at 05:26 PM : Nov 07, 2008

They need their little Phallic symbols.

Gives them two things to play with.

[idnnsg]

"I was afraid of Obama''s stand on guns, and nothing he has said or done has changed my mind" -- zhynaryll

Then you are an ID.IOT! Obama said specifically that the 2nd amendment gives you the personal right to own a gun. The supreme court ruled the same (though they became "activist judges" to do so, since it overturned hundreds of years of precedent). AND, never forget: the NRA has bought and paid for at least 2/3rds of both houses of congress, so they will NEVER take away your "right" to own murder weapons.

You gun nutz are simply NUTZ! Isn''t it about time you just got over it? Wake up, you are living in a dangerous fantasy!

[dan9111]

If what people say is true, then we have nothing to fear. Obamas first action will be to order the government to gather and destroy all guns held by police and military. Or do you think he really does not believe what he says?

[dan9111]

Don''''t take a chance. Buy all the guns and ammo. you can get your hands on.

Posted by mr22587

Not because of Obama... Those things along with cigarettes will be barter material in the post-collapse. That is gonna happen even if McCain had won.

[dan9111]

Oh and dont forget.. McCain is antihandgun. He is not for self-defense. He is only for killing poor defenseless animals.

[hangelle]

Where do these yahoos get their information?! Good grief. I am totally astounded by the ignorance.

[spotter4444]

KKK was started by the democrats. Check your history!!!!

[spotter4444]

Black History Month

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7KmtezWVGU

[spotter4444]

1872 demnocrats started KKK to stop the republican party. Mainly black republicans where targeted.

Check your history

[spotter4444]

Democrats have mainly put the Black people down, to keep them in what they called there place.

[spotter4444]

I mean if you go back and look at history. republicans have always voted more for the black man than any other political organizatin in history of the US.

Excepting this last election.

Mu idiot brethren did not look at the man, they voted on race only.

Sad day for america.

[erasmus81]

They need their little Phallic symbols.

Gives them two things to play with.

Posted by rheola at 05:31 PM : Nov 07, 2008


Hahahahaha, I can''t believe you said that!

You used to give me heck for things that "I" said.:)

[sleepyric]

idiots shouldn''t have guns.

[cdfoxtrot5]

Don''t they know that he doesn''t take office until late January, and he has other issues to deal with than guns? Don''t they know it takes months to get legislation enacted? Do you have to be truly dumb to be a gun owner??

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by spotter4444 at 06:02 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Who cares what Democrat did in 1872. I care about what the parties do today.

So, you are smart enough to hate the Democratic Party because of what they did over 130 years ago?

[spotter4444]

SUPREME COURT ORDERS OBAMA TO RESPOND


The Supreme Court asked Barack Obama to respond by December 1 on the question of his citizenship.
If Obama proves his alleged Hawaii birth certificate to be valid and the Kenyan birth certificate invalid, he will continue on as president-elect. If not, the Supreme Court could rule he is ineligible, which could get many people upset.
There could be violence and rioting.
The law that stated that his American mother could not pass her citizenship to him because she was under 18 has been changed. The law that he was born under did not grant him citizenship if he was born in Kenya of an American mother under 18 and a foreign father. I believe the other issues are frivolous.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80072 sums up the issues



Supreme Court No. 08-570

Title:
Philip J. Berg, v. Barack Obama, et al.

Docketed:
October 31, 2008

Lower Ct:
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit



Case Nos.:
(08-4340)

Rule 11



Oct 30 2008
Petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment filed. (Response due December 1, 2008)

[lovegetpeace]

Dear Pro-Gunner,
Hurry up. Get all the Ak-47 you can afford because the SWAT team along with the U.S. Government Military M1 tanks are going to come to your house.

Or, that evil man with a gun going to knock on your front door and give you 5 minutes to find,unlock and load your gun before he shoots you on the spot.

[lovegetpeace]

Freedom is when you Fear Nobody and Nothing.

I need no guns to feel free.

[rudy6543]

That brought his mother, the camouflage-clad Rachel Smith, to Bob Moates Sports Shop on Thursday,
*********

I bet she came in dipping snuff and spitting in the spitoon.

[evian_ycnan]

Russia Attack Georgia
Alabama WalMarts Sell Out of Ammunition.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by spotter4444 at 06:58 PM : Nov 07, 2008

McCain was born physically in the great Republic of Panama.

Dual Citizenships is allowed by the U.S. Constitution.

[ibzjem]

The fear mongering continues....

You boys better get to Montana and build your bomb shelters quick. Come Jan 21 you won''t be able to live above ground any longer. It''s Y2K all over again.

The rest of us will see you when you think it''s safe to come out....

[evian_ycnan]

Hey Spotocrap,

Oct 31 2008 Application (08A391) for an injunction pending disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari, submitted to Justice Souter.
Nov 3 2008 Supplemental brief of applicant Philip J. Berg filed.
Nov 3 2008 Application (08A391) denied by Justice Souter.

[rudy6543]

Stewart Wallin, owner of Get Some Guns in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray, Utah, said he sold nine assault weapons the day after Obama was elected.
*********

I wonder if the Mormons are planning another Mountain Meadows Massacre? Such peaceful people the Mormons are.

[rudy6543]

Oct 31 2008 Application (08A391) for an injunction pending disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari, submitted to Justice Souter.
Nov 3 2008 Supplemental brief of applicant Philip J. Berg filed.
Nov 3 2008 Application (08A391) denied by Justice Souter.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Evian_Ycnan at 07:06 PM

Hehehehehehehehehehehehe!

Ol'' spotter may want to move to a nice compound in Guantanamo!

[cariboubarbi]

Gunfreaks,

No one wants to take your stupid guns.

What a bunch of nutjobs.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by spotter4444 at 06:58 PM : Nov 07, 2008

I hope the U.S. Supreme Court acts on this lawsuit ASAP because on 21 January 2008, it is mandatory for all non-Muslims in America to be Baptized to Muslims.

You do not want that to happen to you ''born again christian''.

[lmartink]

That''s odd. I bought a new pistol because some of those idiot extremists at McCain and Palin rallies scared the *** out of me.

[lovegetpeace]

And I thought nobody watches the ''Fear Factor'' game show anymore because it was canceled.

[cariboubarbi]

Americans are becoming stupider and stupider every day.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by CaribouBarbi at 07:13 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Some American are called Idiot NeoCons because they continue to preach an Ideology that is depleting their own wallets right now.

[cdfoxtrot5]

it is mandatory for all non-Muslims in America to be Baptized to Muslims.

You do not want that to happen to you ''''born again christian''''.

Posted by lovegetpeace

Muslims don''t have baptism. That''s a Christian religious ceremony. Islam recommends a sort of washing called Ghusul. But I suppose an obviously intelligent, well informed person like yourself knows that?

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by CaribouBarbi at 07:13 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Some Americans are called Idiot NeoCons because they continue to preach an Ideology that is emptying their own wallets right now.

[cdfoxtrot5]

Americans are becoming stupider and stupider every day.

Posted by CaribouBarbi




Is that possible???
At least they elected a smart president, this time.

[lovegetpeace]

Posted by cdfoxtrot5 at 07:16 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Oh man/woman, you are so Smart that its amazing how you understood very clearly and concisely my point.

[sblake63]

The socialist cant do much to us when it comes to gun ownership in the near term. Keep in mind the High Court shot down the ability to ban guns from a person''s home. Now what to watch for: When a supreme court judge is ready to retire, or two of them for that matter under Osama, oh I am sorry Obama''s term.. Then beware because the court will be poisoned with 2 liberals who could care less about what the constitution says and them impose restrictions.

I tell you this as a McCain voter and a "card carrying member of the right", they better not move too far to the left - otherwise they''ll have a revolution on their hands. I''ve seen countless replies on blogs from dems and GOP alike saying "were tired of the religious right shoving their views down our throats". Well news flash! We are tied of some of you forcing your ways down our throats (Denying us access to vouchers to send our kids to schools were you don''t have to put up with us LOL). Banning prayer from schools, removing all signs of religion from public displays etc etc etc.

You have your new found savior (Obama) but keep your hands off our kids, guns and funds or face a revolution!

[afmca]

The NRA and their gun manufacturer puppeteers thank-you! Does show you can fool some of the people all of the time.

[evian_ycnan]

Muslims don''''t have baptism. That''''s a Christian religious ceremony. Islam recommends a sort of washing called Ghusul. But I suppose an obviously intelligent, well informed person like yourself knows that?

Posted by cdfoxtrot5 at 07:16 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Pete: Well I''ll be a ***********. Delmar''s been saved.

Delmar O''Donnell: Well that''s it, boys. I''ve been redeemed. The preacher''s done warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It''s the straight and narrow from here on out, and heaven everlasting''s my reward.

Ulysses Everett McGill: Delmar, what are you talking about? We''ve got bigger fish to fry.

Delmar O''Donnell: The preacher says all my sins is warshed away, including that Piggly Wiggly I knocked over in Yazoo.

Ulysses Everett McGill: I thought you said you was innocent of those charges?

Delmar O''Donnell: Well I was lyin''. And the preacher says that that sin''s been warshed away too. Neither God nor man''s got nothin'' on me now. C''mon in boys, the water is fine.

[evian_ycnan]

Posted by sblake63 at 07:19 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Home schooling... still the best way to insure your children remain as dumb as you.

[indianaman13]

Here is a really simple, easy solution to the problem of gun control. Do what the old west did, ban all guns in towns and within city limits. Urban centers are where most crimes occur involving guns, and most crazies who think they need automatic weapons are paranoid Godless idiots and live in the country. God created life, and for anyone to believe that God favors anyone with a gun is misunderstanding God, why would he support an object who''s sole purpose for existing is to end what God made. If you say abortions are murder, and ungodly because they end life, you better have the same feelings towards war and guns because they do the same thing.

[lovegetpeace]

Our Children do a lot better in Public Schools than Private Schools according to the Republican Bush Administration:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2006461.asp

So, I do not want Vouchers over our FREE public schools.

[kansas1946]

Good grief. What is wrong with people. This reminds me of when Jonny Carson made a joke about a toilet paper shortage, people raced out and bought toilet paper, and by God, there was a toilet paper shortage.

I am a STRONG supporter of the second amendment, own several guns, and it never even occured to me to worry about my guns. First, most gun laws are regulated by the state, second, the supreme court just ruled on this in the people''s favor, so what is the panic. I think President Obama will have enough on his plate that guns are way down there on the list.

[evian_ycnan]

Posted by indianaman13 at 07:25 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Uh, dood... they did that in DC. Worked right up to the point that Alito, Sclia, Roberts, Scalia''s shadow, and .... there was a 5th.... let me think...

SCOTUS struck down the DC handgun laws.

[sblake63]

Posted by sblake63 at 07:19 PM : Nov 07, 2008

Home schooling... still the best way to insure your children remain as dumb as you.



Posted by Evian_Ycnan at 07:24 PM : Nov 07, 2008

_____________________________


Lmao!

First off.. Go walk the halls and lunchrooms and the yards of today''s public schools. Listen to the kids making threats, vulgar words - Fights etc etc ... Now show me one piece of evidence that Public schools are "good" for kids in general. I dare you...