I am about as pro-gun rights as it gets. If you follow my work, you have seen that I have nothing but contempt for the anti-gunner lobby which seeks to infringe on our right to keep and bear arms. Going after them is one of my favorite things to do when I’m writing or yapping about politics.
But sometimes, I have to admit, I am grateful for these anti-gunner tyrants in office who keep pushing legislation designed to restrict firearms.
Yes, I know that might seem a bit counterintuitive. But folks in the gun community know that in many ways, high-profile members of the anti-gunner lobby have been, in some instances, better salespeople for firearms than those who actually believe in gun rights.
A recent report shows that the trend of Democrats exploiting mass shootings to push stricter gun laws is prompting more Americans to purchase firearms. Apparently, not everyone is on board with sacrificing one of the most foundational of natural rights.
A report compiled by National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) revealed that sales of firearms in the US, particularly of AR-15-style rifles, have surged in April, seemingly driven by efforts in some states to impose gun bans. According to industry officials analyzing the latest FBI background check data, states planning gun bans or making changes to the rules governing firearms purchases saw massive spikes in sales.
For example, in Washington State, where a ban on the sale or transfer of AR-style rifles was recently signed, background checks for April sales surged 43.6 percent to 71,272. Similarly, background checks increased by 11.7 percent in Illinois, where the National Shooting Sports Foundation recently won a federal court decision to block a ban on modern sporting rifles.
Even states that moved to change the rules to buy guns saw a significant increase in sales before any new regulations had taken effect. In North Carolina, where the legislature overrode the governor’s veto of a bill that repealed the state’s Jim Crow-era permit-to-purchase a handgun scheme, sales of firearms increased 238.4 percent in April compared to the previous year.
Industry officials noted that while concerns about safety had driven previous sales highs, the difference in April was the perceived threat from the government to take away gun rights, according to NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva suggesting that the sales figures demonstrate that law-abiding citizens will exercise their right to purchase firearms when barriers to lawful ownership are removed.
Oliva explained:
April’s uptick of 1,369,296 FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications shows that there continues to be a steady appetite for lawful firearm ownership even as certain state governors and legislators are taking radical measures to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to possess firearms, especially the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR).
The spokesman continued:
These figures show that when Americans are concerned that government authorities will deny them the full spectrum of their Second Amendment rights, they will respond by exercising those rights. It also shows that when barriers to lawful firearm ownership are torn down, law-abiding citizens will exercise their right to lawfully purchase firearms.
When anti-gunner politicians signal that they plan to crack down on gun rights, it is only natural that people will try to obtain firearms to ensure that their right to defend themselves is not infringed. When people hear about proposed gun control laws, they may feel that their Second Amendment rights are under threat and that they need to act quickly to protect themselves. This fear may be particularly acute in states where Democrats have recently won elections and are now pushing for new gun control measures.
This is especially true for people who live in high-crime areas and who are acutely aware of the reality that these laws will not apply to criminals who don’t pay attention to them. Owning firearms is an important form of self-defense. Some gun owners understand that firearms provide a sense of security, particularly in areas where crime rates are high or where they live in isolated or rural areas. These gun owners may believe that owning firearms is the only way to protect themselves and their families.
But this story will probably get even better. Not only are more people becoming gun owners as a result of the push to restrict firearms, many of the laws being passed will likely be struck down after they are challenged in court. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Bruen case made it much easier for the gun rights crowd to successfully remove many of these restrictions, meaning that they probably won’t be able to restrict guns as they wish.
