Call it a case study in the law of unintended consequences.

In the age of “Hope and Change,” Americans are afraid of, well, a lot of things. An imploding economy, massive federal bailouts for Insiders, loss of jobs, loss of homes, threats of skyrocketing tax rates, threats of deadly infectious diseases, collectivization of health care, and elected representatives who give every appearance of having taking their phones off the hook when it comes to responding to the concerns of the people who placed them in office are only a few of the highlights when it comes to things keeping folks up at night.

But there’s one bright spot on the economic horizon — one area besides federal employment which is showing some stunning vitality: Firearms and ammunition.

Go into your local gun shop and look around for a second or two and there’s a good chance you’ll see a picture of President Obama with superscription: “Gun Salesman of the Year.” Since last year’s election the sale of firearms and ammunition has soared; attendance at gun shows has reached the level that one might think they were giving away free samples — instead of charging the highest prices for ammunition in recent memory. Barack Obama may be an advocate of gun control, but thus far his election marked the beginning of a booming business which shows few signs of lightening up. Maybe this is the economic recovery the President is talking about when he claims to have saved millions of jobs?

According to a Washington Post article,

Gun owners have bought about 12 billion rounds of ammunition in the past year, industry officials estimate. That's up from 7 billion to 10 billion in a normal year.

It has happened, oddly, at a time when the two concerns that usually make people buy guns and bullets -- crime and increased gun control -- seem less threatening than usual.

The explanation for the run on bullets lies partly in economics: Once rounds were scarce, people hoarded them, which made them scarcer. ...

The run started, observers say, as people heeded warnings from the gun-rights lobby that a new Democratic administration would make bullets more expensive or harder to get. Now that the shortage is starting to ease, gun-control groups are voicing their own dark worries about stockpiled ammunition.

In between, in the 12 months since last October, gun shops sold enough bullets to give every American 38 of them. ...

But the spike under Obama seems to be on a different scale: The receipts are on pace to set a record in 2009, according to Treasury Department data, with tax revenue due from guns up 42 percent and revenue due from ammunition at 49 percent. Recently, analysts have said earnings reports from gunmakers seem to show demand for weapons slackening.

Although the ‘tax and spend’ crowd ought to be giddy over the millions of additional dollars in tax revenue generated by all of these gun and ammunition purchases, the idea of citizens buying large numbers of guns and “stockpiling” ammunition is always great for a round winding the left into knots: “What are these people going to do with all this ammunition?” Let’s keep this simple: People are “stockpiling” mainly because ‘supply and demand’ has been out of whack for this industry for about a year; if one of your hobbies is shooting, and you see any ammunition available for your firearms, you are far more inclined to grab it than you would have been a year and a half ago. (The fact that some retailers have tried to stop the run on their diminished stocks by placing purchasing limits on ammunitions sales has also increased the tension, but has allowed the small shipments to be spread out more evenly.)

Despite such obvious explanations, some on the left have not hesitated to jump to dire conclusions. Again, according to the Washington Post:

The high sales have alarmed some anti-gun groups. Josh Sugarmann of the Violence Policy Center said he worries about a revival of the anti-government militia movement of the Clinton era.

"This is a pattern that is repeating itself, and it is a pattern that has tremendous risk attached to it," Sugarmann said.

Assuming that such sentiments as those expressed by Mr. Sugarmann are genuinely held, they are sadly misplaced: Such individuals have watched a predictable pattern of behavior and have apparently interpreted it in a far from charitable fashion. Rather than invoking the militia bogeyman, it wouldn’t hurt for them to look at the world — at least for a moment — through the eyes of citizens who believe in exercising their second amendment rights. If they did, then they would realize that there is nothing nefarious going on; just citizens who are frustrated by shortages, and who are afraid that their constitutional rights may be threatened, given the history and views of many elected officials in Washington. Given the disregard to consensus, and even for common sense, which has been manifested in D.C. this year, can you really blame gun owners for wondering, “What’s next?”

Rt. Rev. James Heiser has served as Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas, while maintaining his responsibilities as publisher of Repristination Press, which he established in 1993 to publish academic and popular theological books to serve the Lutheran Church.  Heiser has also served since 2005 as the Dean of Missions for The Augustana Ministerium and in 2006 was called to serve as Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDoNA). An advocate of manned space exploration, Heiser serves on the Steering Committee of the Mars Society. His publications include two books; The Office of the Ministry in N. Hunnius' Epitome Credendorum (1996) and A Shining City on a Higher Hill: Christianity and the Next New World (2006), as well as dozens of journal articles and book reviews.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (6)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

RP said:

	"This is a pattern that is repeating itself, and it is a pattern that has tremendous risk attached to it", Sugarmann said. You'd better believe there is tremendous risk attached... risk to scheming socialist Insiders! Only 38 bullets per citizen? Nowhere near enough.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 04, 2009
Votes: +6

DDW said:

Good!!! The more weapons in the hand of the citizens, the better. I would remind everyone, even the limp-wristed, fearful "liberals", that no less a person than George Washington stated (not verbatim, mind you) that guns are the liberty teeth of the people and are just as important to liberty as is the Constitution. A majority should know how to use and maintain them and, I repeat, the more the better.

report abuse vote down vote up

November 04, 2009
Votes: +6

RP said:

Tweeters needed!!! Help spread the word. JBS and The New American have added the ability to "tweet" articles. It is easy, and free. Set up an account at www.twitter.com. If enough people "tweet" an article, it gets much greater exposure beyond the JBS and TNA websites. You don't need to have an understanding of social networking. Just know it is easy to do and helps spread the word without media bias.

report abuse vote down vote up

November 04, 2009
Votes: +2

Gunner G. said:

	I feel naked without my guns. Guns are man's best friends.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 04, 2009
Votes: +3

RichardR369 said:

	History How people ignore their history. Guns were banned in governments of tyranny and not in a country of freedom.
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 05, 2009
Votes: +5

Pat Henry said:

... Open carry is allowed in every state (it is only _concealed_ weapons that need a permit). One man was challenged in a Home Depot. He spent a half hour making calls to his lawyer, etc., and then received a call of apology from the manager. It's be much safer on our streets this way. Great to know people realize the Second Amendment is not to protect hunting - but to protect US and our children and grandchildren from being hunted.

report abuse vote down vote up

November 05, 2009
Votes: +6