(GunReports.com) — Recent articles in magazines and newspapers are documenting substantial spikes in gun sales due to the prospects of future gun bans or sales restrictions.
According to the February 2012 issue of Gun Tests magazine, on Black Friday 2011, gun dealers deluged the FBI with background-check requests for prospective handgun and long-gun buyers, breaking the previous record by more than 30%. Background checks, required by federal law, surged to nearly 130,000 during the day, surpassing the previous high of 97,848 on Black Friday of 2008. The second busiest day on record was two days before this past Christmas, with 102,222 checks.
Business Week wrote about the spike: “In the time since [Obama] took office, gun sales have soared. This year, they’re on track to surpass 15 million for the first time. Ruger has done especially well. Since Obama’s inauguration the company’s stock price has risen more than 400%, making it a better investment than gold, which is up 113%.”
Gun Tests Editor Todd Woodard asked his readership, “Have you recently added guns and ammo to your safe? I’d love to hear how much, and why. First names only is fine.”
“Yes, I’ve added to my collection and beefed up my stock of ammunition since Obama looked to be winning the election in 2008. I’ve bought a dozen rifles and shotguns in the past three years, and the same number of pistols. I also keep about twice the number of ready-to-use rounds on hand that I used to. I’ve lately taken to stockpiling “universal caliber” ammo for my guns that shoot those calibers, plus buying 7.62x54R by the spam can for my Mosin Nagants. Part of it is due to the fact that I don’t trust the current mis-administration a nanometer,” wrote a Gun Tests reader who used the first-name handle “Cyrano.”
The December 2011 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,410,937 is an increase of 24.5% over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,133,371 in December 2010. For comparison, the unadjusted December 2011 NICS figure of 1,854,400 reflects a 22.6% increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,512,265 in December 2010. That marks the 19th straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year.
Additional historical comparisons for NSSF-adjusted NICS 2011 annual figure of 10,791,275 show a 14.4% increase over 2010, a 33.5% increase over 2007 (5-year) and a 54.1% increase over 2002 (10-year).
Like “Cyrano,” other Gun Tests readers have been buying because they are worried about future gun restrictions. “Cecil” said he and his wife added a DPMS LR-308 and currently have more than 1,000 rounds of 308 Win. ammo. He also added a Glock 19 Gen 4 with a Crimson Trace laser and several hundred rounds of 9mm ammo, two Sig Sauer P238 pistols, one Taurus 380 ACP, and 1,000 rounds of 380 ammo.
In the last four years, “Bill” in Branson, Missouri purchased one AK-47, one Kel-Tec Sub 2000, four Ruger handguns, a tactical Ruger 10-22, a Walther P-1, a Beretta Bobcat and several hundred rounds of assorted ammunition in 7.62×39, 40 S&W, 45 ACP, 9mm, 22 LR and 12 gauge.
In the last four years, “Sean” in Austin, Texas, has added three M82A1s, twice as many SR-25s and FS2000s, a “gaggle” of black bolt-action precision rifles, and many P226s.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper also documented a spike in area sales with DeWayne Irwin, owner of the Cheaper Than Dirt gun store in north Fort Worth. He said his store set a sales record for the month of February.
He said, “Look who the Republicans are trying to put against Obama,” he said. “It’s the Keystone Kops and people are getting scared. People are terrified he’s going to get re-elected and then he won’t care about getting votes next time. He’ll just pass whatever legislation he wants.”
Read more at www.Star-Telegram.com/
