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."

[treknutz]

Oh my GAWD...The NRA (National Republican Army) is stocking up for civile war! Don''t worry sports fans, as long as you have that knucklehead justice Scalia nuthin ain''t gonna change! (Thought I''d throw in some hillbilly talk for support!)

DumbIgnorantCallasKillers HillbillyEvilAcidDumpSinners!

Lets see if you can find the hidden message!

[clovisbuford]

"stupid white people voted for obamanation
Posted by popstom12 at 02:01 PM : Nov 08, 2008" and even stupider people rush out to get big guns becaues they are living in country whre they consider over half of the people shariong the country with them, enenmies. We just had wahole neighborhood shut down buy armed roobers carrying ak47s and wearing armour.I think dumb a$$es like potptom should go out and buy 12 ak 47''s .. and crouch in their bomb shelters waiting for the apocolypse of the black, muslig socialist , terrorist christian but american hating liberals he lives next door to , and fix his car , and work in his grocery store , and teach his kids. Folks like this are a living breathing argument for birth contro , even they they don''t believe in evolution one can only hope darwin''s rules kick in . I was raised hunting , had my first shotgun at 10, a 22 at 11 . #1 obama hast made any overt moves to sieze guns #2 I dont need military assault rifles with huge magazines to hunt. You NRA ninnies are wallowing in fear and that ak 47 wont protect you from your own ignorance.

[armydog2]

I asked this question the other day, why would anyone need an assault weapon? You can''t hunt with them, you only need a handgun or hunting rifle to defend your home. So why assault weapons? it makes no sense to me.

[biker048]

The Democrats can''t control the bad guys so they make more laws to control the good guys. They need to control someone.

[bill_in_va]

sjbj2322 - the story does not say the family relies on the children to shoot the game. I saw a lot of anti-bush "Take care of your own family" signs out there, time to walk the talk Dem, let this woman take care of her family as she sees fit.

[karenbe111]

Republicans never cease to amaze with their ignorance, fear and stupidity!!!

[vatofla]

Booooo

[sjbj2322]

I''ve heard a lot of really good reasons for a responsible adult to own a gun but putting a gun in the hands of children as young as 4 to 10 in order to put food on the table isn''t one of them. That''s just plain stupid for two reasons...one - kids as young as 4 or even 10 shouldn''t be handling potentially lethal weapons, and two - adults shouldn''t be dependent upon children to meet their responsibilities of providing for the family''s needs.

[hitoyou1]

steve777a : The same thing. Can''t you are the idiots you run around with come up with something new? Gun DO KILL PEOPLE. Does this make it easy for you to sleep at night? You can''t belive this BS. You can''t be that dumb. Can you? But then again.

[popstom12]

stupid white people voted for obamanation

[erasmus81]

"Guns do not kill people..."

Posted by steve777a at 11:27 AM : Nov 08, 2008

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better.

[popstom12]

Hide them all you may need them if anything to eat and defend yourself

[assemblyofso]

A co worker who is survivalist told me his group is stockpiling arms and food. They feel Obama will try to use the military to enact Marshall law to have military seize civilian arms. They think he will want to quell any uprising that may result from his instituting a commmunist government.

And no, I did not make this up, the guy and his group are nuts. They also hunkered down for Y2k.

[brianwbw]

Gun show this weekend. May pick up a extra assault rifle myself.
Posted by TiredoftheBS

I wish hand grenades were legal. sigh :(

[brianwbw]

So you think that Palin is anti-American because she supports the sessionist group in Alaska?
Posted by kansas1946 at 10:25 PM : Nov 07, 2008

She was never a member of a secessionist group anywhere.

I think a sessionist is a person who participates in seances or sessions with dead people.

[kansas1946]

Well, then if that''''s what you want, go somewhere else and support it. This country never has, was not designed to...it was built on inidividual freedoms and rights, as our Constitution is written.


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Posted by FromTexwLove at 11:04 PM : Nov 07, 2008
+ report abuse
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LOL. Really?? So if the majority of Americans voted for a person in the communist party, you think that is unconstitutional? And by the way, those personal freedoms you are talking about, does that include a woman''s right to choose, folks right to use drugs, a woman''s right to be a prostitute? You know it is funny how strongly folks support individual liberties until they disagree with what someone else is doing. Then the just can''t STAND it and scream for some law.

[tiredofthebs]

Gun show this weekend. May pick up a extra assault rifle myself.

[patrik1974]

Guns are good. I like guns, because they do good. Only bad people think guns are bad. Everyone should have gun, everyone should have many guns. I do not like people who do not like guns or think guns are bad.

[ioweign]

So we are to believe Obama contacts the dead?

Posted by ObamaSPEAKS at 10:53 PM : Nov 07, 2008

He had three debates with one and won all three...

[mainedoggie]

=========
Yeah, he has...when you choose friends and associates who are commies and anti-Americans, and when you support commie groups and anti-American groups, you don''''t do it unless you agree with them.

Posted by FromTexwLove
=======================


But... isn''t WalMart, your favorite store, owned by the Walton''s who are staunch republicans, who get 99.8% of the stuff on their shelves from China?

Isn''t China a COMMUNIST nation?

Make up your mind you hypocrite!
Make up your mind.

Otherwise, shut your pie hole!