Comments on: Revisiting the gun meme…

By: not a gator

not a gator — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:42:54 +0000

“Funny how a liberal’s views change at the very thought of being hungry.”

No. Views haven’t changed a bit. Humans are more important than animals. Against killing animals if unnecessary (waste). All for thinning out excess deer population (they will destroy everything in sight and cause environmental collapse without adequate predation).

I think both themes you see in the comments here are apropos: the economy (shoot for food) and the social order (banks collapsing/fear). Looking at FBI #’s, 9/11 is a non-issue. And Obama is certainly motivating the flatscan brigade, but they alone aren’t driving the sort of magnitude that we’re seeing.

I would argue that shortage is its own motivator, just like the runup we saw in oil. Gun & ammo prices started edging up because of the commodity (base metal) runup last spring. This started to mess up the supply line and this started a fear & panic mentality among some of the gold bug/survivalists, who then started “stocking up” on ammo. Meanwhile, job loss in construction trades in the South draws a straight line to “self-sufficiency” such as deer & gator poaching.

As things accelerate–the bad news, the shortages/fear in the gun community–more and more people are drawn into the circle of influence. A generally peaceable (though right-wing) friend of mine skipped knitting circle last week to go to a shooting range for the first time.

The causes of crime are complicated, and urban heat packing is more of an effect/accelerant rather than a deterrant … take a close look at 1970′s, 1980′s, 1990′s. Maybe in rural areas it is different. Friends of mine in rural trailerville in the woods pack heat every day. I suppose they know what they are doing. In the city you avoid conflict, duck behind something big and heavy, and run away.

By: s. Creekwalker

s. Creekwalker — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:56:25 +0000

I just got yet another E-mail from one of the big reloading supply houses stating that my order of .30 cal. bullets is backordered for up to six months. I’ve checked, and they all have a similar waiting list. It’s the same for .22 cal. (.224) I wonder if it is the supply or the demand causing this situation. Probably both.
The bottom line is that people are worried about what the President and his Congress are about to do to the Bill of Rights, and what type of social chaos is in store for us, gun owners and non-gun owners alike.
Wisconsin allegedly has too many whitetailed deer, and I love venison. We’ll get by. But on that point, a number of my more liberal freinds have already made ‘reservations’ to sit at my table if things get out of hand in the cities. A couple have even asked for advice on what type of firearm and how much ammo to buy. (My advice, get a bolt-action .30’06 and as many shells and you can afford.) Funny how a liberal’s views change at the very thought of being hungry.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:58:31 +0000

Interesting, if not a bit cynical, insight but you are forgetting two things in your analysis. First, you are correct that gun sales have been rising since year two of the Bush administration. You might remember also the driving factor: 9/11. Second, by looking at gun licenses applications, you are missing the point of the gun demand. The jump is greatest for those guns which you do not need to be permitted for presently.

- Shawn

By: Michelle Leder

Michelle Leder — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:04:59 +0000

@Leigsah: Thanks for bringing this up. Just to be clear, it was not Bill who made what I described on Twitter as a “borderline threat”. That comment — on a post totally unrelated to guns — has been held while I try to figure out how to respond.

By: Leighsah

Leighsah — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:44:58 +0000

@epc… I read the whole thread. Bill is a little more passionate than most, but what threat are you referring to? And I saw the twitter posting as well. Has the post with the threat been deleted?

By: Michelle Leder

Michelle Leder — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:36:22 +0000

I appreciate all of the comments, and perhaps should have made it clearer in the post — as opposed to my later comments — that I am not an expert on guns. To be honest, I don’t have a strong opinion on them one way or another, which is why I was naive enough to figure I could post on an SEC filing that happened to be about a gun company.

For all of those people who are new to the site, I hope you’ll stick around long enough to realize that I apply this same cynical eye to all sorts of things, including banks, CEO pay, and yes, other seemingly questionable statements from PR folks.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:21:50 +0000

I was not threatening anyone. The personal note was for her to understand what many gunowners think not a personal threat by any means. It was not for publication that is why I listed it as a personal note for her. I guess I should have said not for publication. I was trying to educate her with out adding a million lines of verse to this blog. I believed that she was either biased or uninformed. I am leaning towords biased. Anyone who blogs should know that there are some issues that get a lot of heat such as abortion, guns, gold (gold bugs get really riled up) ect…. She happened into one today and maybe had no clue why we are excitable.

Why pray tell would a President pardon terrorists after banning our guns. That is unbelievalbe. Now we have a president that is closing Gitmo and most likely will have to bring terriorists here to our soil and then I guess release them here in America in 15 years after they serve there time.

These things scare people and they naturally buy guns to protect themselves in large numbers if they feel that they will be banned in the future AGAIN!

By: Tim Conway

Tim Conway — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:20:17 +0000

Make your own? The supply of reloading components has become as short as that of pre-loaded ammunition. For those who use 7.62 or 5.56 Nato(.308 or .223), the prospects have become much worse due to Obama’s decision to have all spent military brass shredded and sold for scrap instead of intact to reloaders for 20 times the price as under all previous administrations.

By: Gene

Gene — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:18:04 +0000

“And while I welcome all readers, my intention wasn’t for this to turn into a place for crazed rantings from people like you.”

As soon as you start talking down to gun owners, that’s exactly what you’ll get. And while I don’t think that you were intentionally talking down to gun owners, comments such as “sales made at gun shows” and “cooked up by some public relations folks” are just that.

I’ve bought and sold quite a few firearms at gunshows, and I can tell you without a doubt, the majority of all gun show purchases are through a FFL dealer, and require a background check to be performed. This gun show loophole that the media and Democrats love to trumpet is nothing more than a cooked up story by some public relation folks. I won’t disagree that it is possible to walk into a gunshow and buy a gun without showing ID or filling out a yellow sheet, but it isn’t the norm. Next time there is a gun show in your town, go on down and ask the dealers (table by table) if they have an FFL, you will be suprised.

That said, Bill… stop being a jerk. You and I both know that there is a shortage of “black rifles” and ammo, and who caused it. We know because we buy these products. Cut Ms Leder a little slack, it’s not her cup of tea, and there is nothing wrong with that. Maybe someone just needs to invite her to the range!

By: epc

epc — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:27:57 +0000

A personal note for you Bill: Michelle has a wide and varied readership who, regardless of our positions on the gun ownership issue, take interest when people make threats against her given the general theme of this site and the information she finds while trolling through the footnotes of public companies’ reports.