View Full Version : Gun sales explode as election looms
platoonDaddy
03-22-12, 16:02
Sales of handguns and ammunition are booming across the country, and retailers say it’s all about the November election.
Gun shop owners around the nation told FoxNews.com that sales, brisk ever since President Obama was elected, have spiked upward in recent months. And manufacturers are having so much trouble keeping up with the demand that one, Sturm, Ruger & Co., can’t keep up with demand. The Southport, Conn.-based company has had to suspend new orders after taking orders for more than 1 million guns in the first three months of the year. Smith & Wesson sales are way up, as well.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/22/gun-sales-off-to-bang-for-election-year/
Doc Safari
03-22-12, 16:12
I've been watching prices go up on parts, mags, and accessories, too.
One item I bought went up $10 just an hour or so after I placed my order! :eek: This literally happened today.
Another site was steadily selling an item to the tune of a few units a day, and raised the price over $150 on the item when their inventory dropped to a certain level. Guess they thought they were selling too cheap.
Another site I watch occasionally e-mailed me a sale price on something over the weekend. By Monday (this past Monday) that item was sold out.
The sites I watch for ammo have been on a rollercoaster of availability.
It's going to get worse, unless by mid fall the Republican is way ahead in the polls.
No surprise at this at all. I have stopped buying rifles and accessories and have been only purchasing ammo and reloading components (primarily primers). Its going to get worse as the year continues, panic might even be worse than last time.
I've made it a point to purchase ammunition, as the price is only going to increase, and the availability will decrease. I'm also buying more magazines, given the current political climate. Not paranoia, just careful planning.
I'm definitely not hoarding, as I'm going to shoot this ammo one way or the other, not sit on in hopes of making a quick buck.
The_War_Wagon
03-22-12, 16:40
Saw it in '92, '96, '00, and '08. Up until the hoplophobes ban them outright, I suspect we'll see it in MORE elections than not, in the years to come... :o
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/07/obama-aide-gun-legislation-in-near-future/1?csp=34news
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/obama-unveil-gun-control-reforms_n_892633.html
montanadave
03-22-12, 17:09
I'm surprised gun/ammo manufacturers and gunshop owners aren't the biggest contributors to the president's reelection campaign as Obama has proven to be the biggest stimulis to firearm sales since Pearl Harbor. :lol:
As for me, the only thing on my list is some SCAR 17 mags and the devil only knows when FN is going to get those to their customers.
Moose-Knuckle
03-22-12, 17:48
This is why over the past year I have made multi purchases of firearms, bulk ammunition, and high capacity feeding devices.
Sales of handguns and ammunition are booming across the country, and retailers say it’s all about the November election.
I was wondering when that was gonna happen! No one has sold more guns than Obama. Should be NRA poster boy.
platoonDaddy
03-22-12, 19:03
Generally purchase guns from Buds and then ship to my FFL. For the last 5 or six months, many of his postings for new firearms "out of stock". Just wondering if they just can't get them or are they cutting back.
Moose-Knuckle
03-22-12, 19:36
Just wondering if they just can't get them or are they cutting back.
In another thread on the subject matter someone posted that DD has brought on a third shift and they cannot keep up with demand also that they were sold out for the rest of the year and could not say when items would be available in '13.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a144/AKS-74/obama-is-gun-salesman-of-the-year-reelection-2012.jpg
I learned my lesson 4 years ago. I'm sitting this one out - no firearm related purchases except training ammo and small parts as needed. I've got redundant weapon systems, ammo stores, mags, and common spare parts to last for a "while."
I learned my lesson 4 years ago. I'm sitting this one out - no firearm related purchases except training ammo and small parts as needed. I've got redundant weapon systems, ammo stores, mags, and common spare parts to last for a "while."
This. :cool:
It's all BS but perception is reality. Even if MaoBama gets reelected, the dems will probably lose the Senate. So you will have a GOP Congress and a Communist President.
Plus, the dems couldn't get enough of their own people to vote for any anti gun stuff to pass it if they hang on to the Senate. They learned their lesson in 2000 and 2004. Most won't get near gun stuff anymore.
Hell, a national reciprocity bill came within 2 vote of being law in a dem controlled Congress a few years ago!
Doc Safari
03-23-12, 12:44
It's all BS but perception is reality. Even if MaoBama gets reelected, the dems will probably lose the Senate. So you will have a GOP Congress and a Communist President.
Plus, the dems couldn't get enough of their own people to vote for any anti gun stuff to pass it if they hang on to the Senate. They learned their lesson in 2000 and 2004. Most won't get near gun stuff anymore.
Obama doesn't need Congress. He has stated openly he will pursue as many gun control measures under the radar as he can.
Not that he will be all-powerful, but I'm sure he could do some damage.
Obama doesn't need Congress. He has stated openly he will pursue as many gun control measures under the radar as he can.
Not that he will be all-powerful, but I'm sure he could do some damage.
This is the nonsense that is fueling the "panic". Explain exactly what he will do and legally how he will do it without Congress?
I understand the Constitution has been stretched in the past 100 years (actually since it was ratified) but we still live in a constitutional republic with laws and separation of powers - despite what Obama would like you to believe.
Obama doesn't need Congress. He has stated openly he will pursue as many gun control measures under the radar as he can.
Not that he will be all-powerful, but I'm sure he could do some damage.
If he really wanted to make that a focus/priority of his second term, I'm sure he could be a PITA for gun owners no doubt, but as with his first term, he'll have his hands plenty full with far more pressing issues, and even the thickest of the thick Dems have learned the hard way, gun control is not a popular topic with the majority of Americans.
Vigilance is the cost of freedom and Liberty to be sure, so no one should ignore/let their guard down per se, but I'm personally not going to make it a focus of major concern due to above comments.
Obama, so far, best thing to happen to the gun industry in a long time! :D
Doc Safari
03-23-12, 12:59
Explain exactly what he will do and legally how he will do it without Congress?
I'm not a legal expert, but I refer you to all the things Clinton did during his presidency. One of the major things was to go after FFL's and reduce the number nationwide considerably. There is also the notion that ATF could expand the definition of what is not "suitable for sporting purposes" by simply issuing some new regulations and it would have to be challenged in court. Add to that the fact that Barry and Hilary are undoubtedly behind UN initiatives and you get the idea.
Operation Fast & Furious should scare the living shit out of anyone who owns, sells, or supports guns in this country. And if they would do that knowing it was a scam and that Barry would face another election, imagine what they will do when he doesn't have to be afraid to lose another term.
WAKE UP.
Take is "non-recess" recess appointments (blatantly illegal) as evidence that HE DOES NOT NEED THE LAW ON HIS SIDE TO ACT.
Congress is almost irrelevant.
Again, Barry would not be all-powerful, but he could do some damage.
Every time this administration mentions guns, more people by guns. That is more voting gun owners.
Any reclassification would indeed be challenged in the courts and most likely defeated. It is political suicide. And if Obama is that ideologically driven to attack gun at the expense of his party's reelection prospects then dems will separate themselves from him just like they did after the health care bill.
I believe Congress could make Obama's possible second term very painful if he tries too many shenanigans.
Also, the ATF has its hands full right now with bad gun PR
Rmplstlskn
03-23-12, 14:37
I'm definitely not hoarding, as I'm going to shoot this ammo one way or the other, not sit on in hopes of making a quick buck.
What is wrong with buying MORE of something you know will go up in price, even if you sell some later?
Rmpl
Moose-Knuckle
03-23-12, 15:36
Obama Administration Eyeing Gun Control 'Under the Radar
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/28/obama-administration-eyeing-gun-control-radar-groups-warn/
Obama Administration Eyeing Gun Control 'Under the Radar
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/28/obama-administration-eyeing-gun-control-radar-groups-warn/
Reading that article from a year ago, I'm reminded again of the various failures to enact more restrictions.
Im not saying he doesn't worry me but I think perception is a little exaggerated.
I'll start really worrying more when the polls start show public support for more gun regulation. The polls will guide most of this.
If he really wanted to make that a focus/priority of his second term, I'm sure he could be a PITA for gun owners no doubt, but as with his first term, he'll have his hands plenty full with far more pressing issues, and even the thickest of the thick Dems have learned the hard way, gun control is not a popular topic with the majority of Americans.
Vigilance is the cost of freedom and Liberty to be sure, so no one should ignore/let their guard down per se, but I'm personally not going to make it a focus of major concern due to above comments.
Obama, so far, best thing to happen to the gun industry in a long time! :D
Problem is if he gets re-elected he can't get a third term, so what's to stop him? Congress? Yeah right. He has already made recess appointments of people who didn't pass Senate confirmation. And he and the Dems in Congress sure as hell doesn't care what the people think as evident by the passage of his health care law. His press secretary even said "President Barack Obama will continue to act independently without congressional authorization to benefit the American people”. Which means what HE thinks is good for the people, not what the people think is good for the people. It won't surprise me one bit that if he wins re-election, he will go after guns. Especially now that he is involving himself in the Trayvon Martin shooting. :rolleyes:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/23/obama-calls-florida-shooting-death-tragedy-says-his-son-would-look-like-trayvon/
Problem is if he gets re-elected he can't get a third term, so what's to stop him?
My comments above are why I feel it's unlikely. I didn't say impossible, I just don't see it as likely and a major focus for his admin, regardless of it being a second term.
Nightvisionary
03-23-12, 19:31
This time I think the rise in gun sales is more attributable to the 2012 hysteria and TV shows like Doomsday Preppers, Doomsday Bunkers, Sons of Guns, American Guns, and Top Shot that have made the gun culture mainstream.
All of these things are increasing the awareness level of the general public and creating more interest in firearms and prepardness.
Doc Safari
03-24-12, 15:42
Here is a scenario I have heard talked about on one of the talking head news shows. I don't remember which because this was several weeks ago.
Heller was decided in favor of the Second Amendment by only one vote.
Barry knows this.
Barry gets re-elected and begins using some of this cronies to bring pressure on a conservative justice to retire.
Barry appoints liberal anti-gun justice or justices to fill the empty post or posts.
Eric Holder, or whoever takes over if he implodes over Fast & Furious, makes sure that a court case that gets to the fundamentals of the Second Amendment is fast-tracked to the new super-liberal SCOTUS.
The new super-liberal SCOTUS revisits the question, overturns Heller, and basically declares the Second Amendment to not be an individual right.
Tinfoil? No way.
Unlikely? Not unlikely, but possibly difficult. It would take months of a coordinated effort to bring it all to pass in Barry's second term.
In other words, very difficult but doable.
I will admit that I have not been as worried about Barry's gun control efforts as I was Bill Clinton. He just doesn't have the enthusiasm.
What I think will happen is that in his second term some very anti-gun loudmouth activists will take the initiative for him, and he will go along with them (possibly so he can take the credit if nothing else).
My realistic expectation is that there is no need for panic right now, just due diligence.
If there is something you have been wanting to purchase anyway, buy it now just to avoid being caught in a few months of stockouts due to the buying panic. Buy enough to weather a shortage, but don't go apeshit, either.
If you've been wanting to buy an upper, and it shows up in stock briefly, you'd be smart to go ahead and buy it because it may be out of stock for months.
On the other hand, don't just go out and buy another upper because "there's a buying spree going on."
ForTehNguyen
03-24-12, 15:44
if a buying frenzy started, I have no idea really what I would buy firearm wise. Currently I have everything I want, got enough ARs etc. Maybe I'd stock up on mags and ammo
Robb Jensen
03-24-12, 16:34
The buying frenzy started awhile back, we've been at 2008 levels or above since about September of 2011.
Moose-Knuckle
03-24-12, 16:42
The buying frenzy started awhile back, we've been at 2008 levels or above since about September of 2011.
Yeap. Grant called back in March '11.
http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=77752&highlight=shortages
Moose-Knuckle
04-06-12, 03:27
Gun Sales Booming: Doomsday, Obama or Zombies?
http://gma.yahoo.com/gun-sales-booming-doomsday-obama-zombies-193929184--abc-news-money.html
Gun maker Sturm, Ruger says that in the first quarter it received orders for more than 1 million firearms--so many that it has now had to stop taking orders. Says a notice on its website: "Despite the company's continuing successful efforts to increase production rates, the incoming order rate exceeds our capacity to rapidly fulfill these orders. Consequently, the company has temporarily suspended the acceptance of new orders."
"Stocks of gun makers are surging. Sturm, Ruger's share price is up 55 percent this year. Smith & Wesson soared 91 percent. Sporting goods and hunting retailer Cabela's is up 53 percent. "
I can't believe how fast ammo is flying off the shelf at the online retailers I go to. Crazy.
Gotta wonder how much of it is scalpers rather than regular users and stockers.
Doc Safari
04-06-12, 09:00
I was talking to a local dealer the other day. I asked him why he's always out of certain calibers of ammo. He said a couple of guys have figured out the days he gets his ammo, and they just wait at the door until it comes in, then they buy up all of it.
Heller was decided in favor of the Second Amendment by only one vote.
Barry knows this.
Barry gets re-elected and begins using some of this cronies to bring pressure on a conservative justice to retire.
The Supreme Court doesn't often revisit its decisions (good or bad), or overturn its previous rulings. That is partially why the healthcare challenge is such a big deal. The Supreme Court has supported the expansion of Congressional powers under the commerce and "necessary and proper" clauses. If they don't this time it would be a departure from case history.
Having said that, I think this is the only threat from an Obama second term. I don't see him having any traction in Congress or bypassing it to enforce gun control. He's burned up way too much political capital on other items, and he'll burn through more getting elected. The last card he has to play is appointing a Supreme Court judge if one of the Conservatives resigns or dies.
GeorgiaBoy
04-06-12, 11:45
I was talking to a local dealer the other day. I asked him why he's always out of certain calibers of ammo. He said a couple of guys have figured out the days he gets his ammo, and they just wait at the door until it comes in, then they buy up all of it.
And that's happening all over the country. Walmarts, gun shops, hardware stores, online stores.
I'm about fed up with people's damn paranoia. Mine your own lead, brass, and copper; then make some powder. Make your own. Stop raising the prices for those that just want to shoot not hoard.
Go ahead and preemptively buy some bulk .22lr for your conversions / 15-22s. I remember in 2008, even Federal Bulk packs were gone from everywhere when we all had to sideline our ARs due to the .223 shortages. I grabbed 11000 rounds for pretty cheap still.
LowSpeed_HighDrag
04-07-12, 08:10
Well, I tried not to fall for the frenzy. I tried, I really did. But, last night I sent a check off to the LGS for 2 LMT complete lowers.
I figure they will be good investments either way. Ive been wanting an SBR for awhile, so one of them can fill that role, and the other can sit idly by until maybe a family member decides that its time to arm themselves. If not, I can turn it into another rifle or sell it down the road.
QuietShootr
04-08-12, 19:46
And that's happening all over the country. Walmarts, gun shops, hardware stores, online stores.
I'm about fed up with people's damn paranoia. Mine your own lead, brass, and copper; then make some powder. Make your own. Stop raising the prices for those that just want to shoot not hoard.
I have an idea. How about you don't worry about what I do with the shit I buy. I'm about fed up with ostrich gun owners who don't really think TPTB are serious about disarming the population.
platoonDaddy
04-18-12, 12:18
Gun sales increase with tax refunds:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1568474681001/gun-sales-increase-with-tax-refunds?intcmp=features
Nathan_Bell
04-18-12, 12:27
My comments above are why I feel it's unlikely. I didn't say impossible, I just don't see it as likely and a major focus for his admin, regardless of it being a second term.
Really? You did notice him telling the Russian Premier that he would have "more flexibility" after the election? Do you think that he only means that about selling Eastern Europe down the river?
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