Although a Republican sits in the White House, record gun sales are likely for this holiday season. That’s according to a local news broadcast in southwest Florida called WINK, which analyzed firearms sentiment. Indeed, 2019 could turn out to be a record year for firearm purchases.
At first, such a notion runs counter to what we know about gun sales. Back when President Obama enjoyed his two terms, the threat to the Second Amendment was palpable. During his time in the White House, Obama sadly oversaw many acts of gun violence. On more than one occasion, he has criticized Americans’ access to high-powered weaponry.
However, Obama throughout most of his administration did not enjoy Democratic control of Congress. Therefore, even though he would have liked to enact stringent gun control, he was ultimately limited in his ambitions. Nevertheless, conservative mistrust of the then-President ran deep.
Thus, anytime Obama spoke out after a major gun violence tragedy, gun sales predictably soared. But with Trump in office, the pressing need for firearms has died down.
However, that may be changing soon, especially if WINK is correct in its forecast.
Rising Gun Sales a Rational Outcome
While the political threat against firearm rights isn’t as intuitive today, it still exists. According to CBS News, there have been more mass shootings in 2019 then there are days in the year. This is the first time since 2016 that the mass shooting rate has averaged more than one per day.
And with one full month left, this sad tally could move higher.
Not only that, because we’re headed toward a critical election year, more conservatives could vote in favor of so-called “sensible” gun laws. While that sounds completely non-sensical at first glance, here’s the political reality: as the body bags pile up, the pro-firearms side looks increasingly irrational.
Believe me, I don’t make that remark lightly. Loyal readers of Crush The Street know that I’m 100% supportive of the Second Amendment. However, just like with the vaping crisis, not doing anything may incur political costs. And with school shootings becoming an alarming occurrence in the American landscape, certainly something has to be done.
What this is exactly remains to be seen. But with this uncertainty, people have decided to arm themselves now while they still can. Because here’s another political reality: although Trump should win his second term, that’s of course not guaranteed.
If the Democrats – God forbid – take over the executive branch, firearm confiscation would take one step closer to reality. And that’s probably the main reason why so many folks today are interesting in loading up.