Largest civilian arms build-up in American history

[glocke12]

Interesting blog here:

http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com

Americans are panicking, and are speaking with their wallets. If the majority of citizens here in the US want these banned as the news reports say, why have people been flocking to gun stores to get whatever semi-auto weapon they can?

I include myself here. The sunday after the shooting, I purchased another black rifle off of Gunbroker (Colt Socom II for those who care), and the next day I called my local gun store and put a Colt AR15 on layaway, Tuesday night I picked it up, only after selling some music equipment and a cherished Martin D41 in order to pay for these new rifles.

This gun store is normally busy, there are always at least 6-8 people in there when I go in, but Tuesday night when I went in to get my latest purchase, there was sheer madness and panic. The counter (about 20-30 feet long) was 2-3 people deep, and waits on background checks (which normally take 5 minutes), were taking up to an hour.

The people I saw purchasing these rifles varied..Some appeared to be "Fudds", hunters who 10-15 years ago would have looked down on someone with an AR15. Others looked very wealthy. One guy I saw in there is a local doctor. Many people were obviously new to the AR platform, and looked like they were probably scraping together their spare change to buy one.

Online sales are out of control. On a popular gun auction site, 30 round magazines which normally sell for $14.00 USD or so were going for $50.00 or more, and AR style rifles were selling for 2x-3x their normal price.

Online gun dealers (that is, places where you purchase a firearm online and have it shipped to your local dealer for legal transfer) were all completely sold out. By Wednesday night, there was not a single AR style rifle to be found at any online dealer, many of whom had their websites go offline due to the demand.

One online retailer claimed to have had a 3 year supply of 30 round magazines prior to the shooting. Within a week they were all depleted...

I would not be at all surprised to find that more firearms were sold in the past week than in all of 2011.

[rdowns]

Gun ownership has been declining in the US for quite some time. Something like 20% of gun owners own about 65% of all the guns out there. To look at it another way, about 1% of the world's population own over a third of the guns or the US is 5% of the world's population yet we own 50% of all the guns.

I's bet it's these people rushing out to buy guns and not the public at large.

[glocke12]

Originally Posted by rdowns

Gun ownership has been declining in the US for quite some time.

dont think so...if anything its been holding steady since the mid-90s/

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/se...hest-1993.aspx

[skunk]

Perhaps the appalling performance of well-equipped US troops against insurgents armed with AK47s in recent years has persuaded many that a victory - or at least a stand-off - is achievable in a fight between rag-tag militias and government forces?

[glocke12]

Originally Posted by skunk

Perhaps the appalling performance of well-equipped US troops against insurgents armed with AK47s in recent years has persuaded many that a victory - or at least a stand-off - is achievable in a fight between rag-tag militias and government forces?

that "appalling performance" was more than likely due to rules of engagement that prevented troops from being as effective as they could be.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by glocke12

dont think so...if anything its been holding steady since the mid-90s/

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/se...hest-1993.aspx

I'll see your link and raise you this one.

http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2012/0...united-states/

[Peterkro]

He sold a Martin D41 to buy a gun? Presumably to protect himself against a tyrannical government in a country which has shown no signs of not conforming to the governments wishes for over a hundred years.The only ones to resist were the largely unarmed left in the first red scare,the left/liberals in the second and the civil rights protestors.

[glocke12]

Originally Posted by Peterkro

He sold a Martin D41 to buy a gun? Presumably to protect himself against a tyrannical government in a country which has shown no signs of not conforming to the governments wishes for over a hundred years.The only ones to resist were the largely unarmed left in the first red scare,the left/liberals in the second and the civil rights protestors.

I can always get another D41..probably take me a few months to save for that.

----------

Originally Posted by rdowns

I'll see your link and raise you this one.

http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2012/0...united-states/

Im not sure I buy the GSS data...20% of homes here in the US with a pistol or shotgun? Just does not sound real..

If your source is accurate, than please explain why the number of companies that manufacture AR style weapons and accessories has seen a dramatic increase over the past 10-15 years or so ? If people were not buying them, all of these new companies would not exist.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by glocke12

Im not sure I buy the GSS data...20% of homes here in the US with a pistol or shotgun? Just does not sound real..

If your source is accurate, than please explain why the number of companies that manufacture AR style weapons and accessories has seen a dramatic increase over the past 10-15 years or so ? If people were not buying them, all of these new companies would not exist.

Gun ownership (by household) is down while the number of guns is up. I think the 20/65 rule explains it, 20% of gun owners own 65% of the guns.

[Peterkro]

Originally Posted by glocke12

I can always get another D41..probably take me a few months to save for that

I didn't realise it was your blog.Doesn't change my view however,it's difficult to understand why someone who already owns guns would sell a guitar that half the worlds musicians would exchange their worldly goods for to buy more.Maybe you should copy one of your greatest country men,keep the guitar and write "This Machine kills Fascists" on it,this I'm sure will be more successful against tyrannical government than a arsenal of other weapons.

[thewitt]

Several of my close friends have purchased weapons for the first time this year, with concealed carry permits as well.

Gun ownership is definitely on the rise.

[glocke12]

Originally Posted by Peterkro

I didn't realise it was your blog.Doesn't change my view however,it's difficult to understand why someone who already owns guns would sell a guitar that half the worlds musicians would exchange their worldly goods for to buy more.Maybe you should copy one of your greatest country men,keep the guitar and write "This Machine kills Fascists" on it,this I'm sure will be more successful against tyrannical government than a arsenal of other weapons.

the link leads to a blog that is written by someone else...

the text in the first post is mine...
D41s are a dime a dozen, as long as you have the dimes.

[quagmire]

Fear drives American society I'm afraid.

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by rdowns

Gun ownership (by household) is down while the number of guns is up. I think the 20/65 rule explains it, 20% of gun owners own 65% of the guns.

This site confirms your assertion that gun ownership is on a decline.

They put the percentage at ~32% of households and ~20% personal.

http://www.vpc.org/studies/ownership.pdf

----------

Originally Posted by quagmire

Fear drives American society I'm afraid.

Luckily, it would seem only 20% of Americans.

[quagmire]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Luckily, it would seem only 20% of Americans.

I wasn't talking about just guns, but the fear component is present there too( on both sides of the issue)....

[zioxide]

Originally Posted by quagmire

Fear drives American society I'm afraid.

Apparently a portion of society feels the need to compensate for something.


It's going to be funny as **** when a new AWB is passed and these people have to give up the guns they just bought.

[mrkramer]

Originally Posted by zioxide

It's going to be funny as **** when a new AWB is passed and these people have to give up the guns they just bought.

If it's anything like the last one then it will only apply to weapons sold after the law starts, so these people will get to keep their weapons.

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by quagmire

I wasn't talking about just guns, but the fear component is present there too (on both sides of the issue)....

Don't be too hard on us Americans. While I've had plenty of criticism for the culture, it is somewhat comforting to see that we're dealing with a minority when it comes to gun ownership.

I would not have guessed the number would be so small. It gives me some hope that the American people are not as fearful as I assume. Perhaps there is a chance for some real change and progress on this issue.

[zioxide]

Originally Posted by mrkramer

If it's anything like the last one then it will only apply to weapons sold after the law starts, so these people will get to keep their weapons.

I'm hoping they realize that won't do anything and they actually need to put in place a real ban this time.

It's time for America to join the rest of the first world here in the 21st century.

We don't live in Somalia or Pakistan where people have to carry assault rifles down the street with them, although part of me thinks some of the right wants to turn this country in to something like that.

Time to move along and get with the times. It's not the 1850s wild west anymore.

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Don't be too hard on us Americans. While I've had plenty of criticism for the culture, it is somewhat comforting to see that we're dealing with a minority when it comes to gun ownership.

I would not have guessed the number would be so small. It gives me some hope that the American people are not as fearful as I assume. Perhaps there is a chance for some real change and progress on this issue.

That's what I'm hopeful for too. The gun nuts are very vocal but they are the minority. If the majority speaks up and shows we aren't going to put up with this ******** anymore, maybe we can get some real progress.

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by glocke12

that "appalling performance" was more than likely due to rules of engagement that prevented troops from being as effective as they could be.

Oh, they were quite effective. They killed a lot of Iraqis. More shameful than Viet Nam. I still contend that W should be tried for war crimes and hanged in public.

http://www.iraqbodycount.org

Have we made up for 9/11 yet?

[likemyorbs]

Originally Posted by thewitt

Several of my close friends have purchased weapons for the first time this year, with concealed carry permits as well.

Gun ownership is definitely on the rise.

So you believe more guns are the solution, correct?

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by thewitt

Several of my close friends have purchased weapons for the first time this year, with concealed carry permits as well.

Gun ownership is definitely on the rise.

Did they also take lessons on how to use said weapons? I doubt it. And that's the problem. Too many idiots own guns.

[zioxide]

Originally Posted by likemyorbs

So you believe more guns are the solution, correct?

Not guns.

Rocket launchers.

We should just give all civilians rocket launchers and put guards armed with rocket launchers outside of our schools.




Sorry, just trying to think of a proposal that could approach the level of lunacy of the NRA's yesterday.

[robanga]

Originally Posted by quagmire

Fear drives American society I'm afraid.

Fear has an effect on every society. Let's not try to sound all superior

If there are suddenly more robberies, alarm companies and lock companies do lots of business.

----------

Originally Posted by leekohler

Did they also take lessons on how to use said weapons? I doubt it. And that's the problem. Too many idiots own guns.

Certainly lessons are available cheaply and all over the place, but you are probably right its a small minority that take them and actually go to a range regularly etc.

[chrono1081]

Originally Posted by leekohler

Did they also take lessons on how to use said weapons? I doubt it. And that's the problem. Too many idiots own guns.

This!

There should be mandatory classes for gun ownership. No exceptions.