Gun sales soar post-election. But why?

 

Two weeks ago, I went to the Lehigh County Courthouse to apply for my concealed weapon permit. Yep, it's come to that. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels threatened. The clerk at the Sheriff's office told me that the day following the November 6th elections, a record for conceal and carry permits set an all time Lehigh County record. Then on Thursday, the record was broken again. On Friday, Thursday's record was broken. I asked the clerk why she thought that was? She said since the explosion of requests directly followed the election - there may be a correlation. But being a government employee, didn't want to elaborate or offer personal opinions. Uh huh.

Two months earlier I bought a new 9mm semi-automatic pistol. I noticed that the gun sales at Cabella's that day appeared to be quite brisk. When I brought that to the gun dealer's attention, he peered over his reading glasses and said; "Yes.Yes, it has". Then added that the majority of the sales were to new gun owners - people who say they have never owned a gun before nor thought they ever would. Sturm-Ruger Firearms, the company that made my 9mm, saw their stock soar. Orders became so fierce that the company announced it will halt taking orders until they catch up on production. And Sturm-Ruger is not alone. Somethings obviously going on here. But what? I've I have owned numerous handguns since 1982. Everything from 22's to a 357 magnum. I enjoyed shooting them and I used them as home protection but sold all of them by the mid-nineties.  But about a year ago, I began seeing things I didn't like. And I bought my first handgun since 1992.

I see the tumult in places like Greece and elsewhere, where a government on the brink of bankruptcy sends people out in the streets. I see a $1 trillion annual deficit here in the United States, up from $480 billion just 4 short years ago. I see an America which refuses to take this economic ticking time bomb seriously. Witness the 2012 Presidential election where a candidate with a horrible economy gets re-elected anyway, by promising even more social spending and wealth redistribution - all paid for with money we don't have. I see violent crime up. And much of that crime by people with no apparent fear or care to their victims. It is quite possible I believe, that we as a nation and then the World, may experience a global financial meltdown. Should that happen, the have-nots will not be content to continue to do without. And they will come looking for those who have. And when they do, they may not ask politely. A family member of mine had an attempted break-in at their home. The attempt came while they were asleep in their beds. Only a late night bathroom visit interrupted the potential intruder. And they don't live in an inner city environment but rather an upscale rural development. My neighbor's home just two doors away had an attempted break-in last year. And this is before any financial crisis. My home is alarmed and now it's armed. The recent power-outages saw people do without the basics for weeks in some cases. Hurricane Sandy victims are still without power and basic services. If the government can't deal with the events of a natural disaster, what will they be able to provide in the event of a much larger catastrophe? I also recently bought an AM-FM-SW radio that operates on solar and crank power in the event of another natural or not so natural disaster. Am I overreacting? Perhaps. But I was a Boy Scout once and I do believe in being prepared. But if I'm overreacting then so are millions of other people.

In the event of a disaster, you need to be able to rely upon yourself. Calling 911 may do you no good. And what seems improbable now may become reality tomorrow. On September 10, 2001, no one imagined that commercial aircraft would be used as missiles. What else may be improbable? And when the improbable happens - will you be able to provide your own security and safety? I'd rather not have to answer that question after an event. And neither should you.