Historically, when liberal politicians start to give speeches about taking away guns or imposing new gun control laws, sales of guns and ammunition have spiked. Many times, this has followed a recent mass shooting or some other catastrophe. It’s not uncommon to see sales driven by fear, as fear is a powerful motivator, but 2020 has taken that to a whole new level.
When I wrote my book, Mercy Shot, a courtroom drama about a mass shooting event thwarted by a concealed carrier who is then charged with murder, I thought it was pretty edgy. I could not have foreseen the disease laden, city-burning nightmare that has been 2020. The ensuing and pervasive fear running rampant across America has produced a beautiful example of how the free-market economy works. Supply and demand baby…and demand for privately-owned weapons is outpacing supply, big time.
It’s a perfect storm. The pandemic started the purchasing frenzy in April as shelves were emptied of toilet paper and other simple goods. People were terrified and socially locked in their homes as the plague of the modern age was reported to be about to kill us all. The American people felt the fear of a tyrannical government like no other period in my lifetime as state after state forced private businesses to lock down by decree. Businesses closed, many never to reopen. The feeling of powerlessness to do anything about it began to seep into the American psyche. The government was now firmly in control of our lives. Lockdowns, curfews, masks, rules that forced people to get married virtually alone or bury a loved one with almost no funeral. It’s all for the greater good they said, but a sinking feeling of dread had settled in.
If the local Walmart can run out of toilet paper, what’s next? Food? Gasoline? Images of The Walking Dead or Mad Max filled people’s heads as they binged on Netflix and drank more than usual. Millions upon millions of American gun owners went into their local store and filled their carts with ammo. Just in case. And as demand outpaced supply, ammo shelves became as barren as an apocalyptic nightmare.
Sales of guns spiked by summer as estimates made using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show that more than 12 million guns were sold to Americans in the first seven months of 2020. And if that wasn’t staggering enough. It is estimated that 5 million of those guns went to first-time gun buyers. That’s 5 million people who now have a stake in keeping guns legal who before were just watching from the sidelines. They’ve bought in and chosen a side.
The Second Amendment is suddenly alive in 5 million new hearts in a whole new way.
That was only the numbers through July. Then the riots started. Cities are literally on fire. Businesses are being burned and looted not in some far-off land, but right here in our once-safe streets. Minneapolis burned. Portland burned. Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Kenosha burned as well. Videos filled our social media with images of people getting beaten defending their businesses, diners being terrorized at dinner, Bibles and the American flag being burned as the crowd chants “Death to America” or “Defund the Cops.” It’s pretty terrifying out there.
Here’s the message being sent loud and clear: You and your family are not safe in your home or car or business and the police are no longer going to be there to protect you.
It’s pretty easy to see why guns are flying off the shelves.
“A well-regulated militia being necessary for the security of a free state; the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” states the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
Those words suddenly are golden to 5 million new converts. Many of them women and Democrats. Nobody is arguing that the Second Amendment is for hunting anymore. It is painfully obvious it is for our own protection and thank God for it. If the police can’t be there when the rioters march down your street, what do you do if you are not armed against a mob? Fleeing is your only hope if you’re not armed.
Remember the couple from St. Louis made famous by protecting their estate with weapons? Obviously, not gun nuts as they so poorly handled their weapons. They defended themselves and their house was spared. They were not killed or beaten. Make fun of their lack of skills if you want, those weapons were the difference.
The only thing that stands between a riotous mob and your personal safety is your ability to defend yourself. I don’t think liberals have a clue what has happened. I was recently told that “the riot is the voice of the unheard.” A quote made famous by the entirely non-violent black leader Martin Luther King Jr. A riot by nature is uncontrollable and terrifying to behold. The fear created by the riots is transcending political lines as even a liberal knows that guns are the great equalizer.
The next time the Democrats push for a new gun control law they may feel the weight of 5 million new gun owners not quite so willing to vote party line. I won’t say that 5 million new votes just flipped sides, but if a vote for your favorite Democrat means giving up the shiny new weapon that makes you feel safer in an insane world, you might just sit this one out.
The more the manure hits the fan, the deeper the beauty of the Second Amendment and gun ownership is instilled in the present generation. If you want to sell millions more guns…keep rioting! It’s that simple.
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