There's one small business that's doing exceptionally well across the country - gun stores. When Barack Obama won the presidency, the gun industry took off into unprecedented sales territory. Now stores in most parts of the country report that demand for weapons is slowing, though ammo is still flying off the shelves and ammunitions manufacturers say they "will never catch up".
If people with guns frighten you, you will probably conclude that the guns were sold to hardline ultra-Conservatives who are convinced there's a revolution brewing. They don't want government militias forcing their compliance with policies they believe are wrong. Check out the comments on news articles about gun sales and you'll see some of this attitude; comments from writers who say they want to defend themselves and their families against totalitarian government policies. They see mandated flu shots and talk of health care reform as one of the signs of the coming Apocalypse. I am not laughing.
The idea behind preserving our right to bear arms was to allow us to protect ourselves and our communities when government oversteps the authority we gave it. Though it seems unthinkable to many of us now that we might want to violently resist our own government, remember this was drafted when we'd just overthrown a government. We'd just lived through a revolution.
If gun sales are slowing, does that mean they're becoming less afraid of our new president? That, to me, proves this probably isn't the reasoning of most people who rushed to buy guns after the election.
Other analysts say the run on guns in 2009 was because of fears that a Democratic administration would try to legislate tougher gun control. This one fits the puzzle; as it's becoming obvious that the new administration considers tougher gun laws an issue that's not even on the radar right now, worries are easing and gun sales are slowing.
Then there's the question of whether the gun sales tie in to the recession. With people losing their homes, rising numbers of formerly middle class workers standing on line at food pantries and minimum wage employers finding themselves flooded with applicants, it could follow that those who
have could be fearful of the rising numbers of
have nots. If things get bad enough, it's not impossible to imagine people breaking into businesses and homes to find food and shelter. If you've got a little, you might be frightened someone could take it away from you.
I believe the truth about the guns sales is all of the above. And we need to be aware it's happening.
KB refers to this planet as Fear University. This situation is a perfect example. You need a gun to protect yourself if you're convinced your safety is at risk.
I have come to believe that it is unlikely that each of us can change the entire world. But we can change
our world. What if you made a point to talk to your neighbors, telling them that if they're ever in big trouble, they're welcome to come take shelter with you, to share what you have? What if they were inspired to do the same? What if it moved up your street and through out your town, your city? What if we all knew we had each other's backs?
Is that such a stretch?
