First-Time Buyers Explain Why Coronavirus Drove Them to Gun Stores in Record Numbers

[Right_in_Virginia]

First-Time Buyers Explain Why Coronavirus Drove Them to Gun Stores in Record Numbers
More than 2 million guns sold in March
Washington Free Beacon, Apr 19, 2020

Aaron Eaton learned how to shoot in the Army back in 2006 but holstered a pistol for the last time when he left in 2009 and took a job as a technician for a sewer company. That all changed on March 26 when the father of four walked out of an Alabama gun store with a Beretta 92FS, the same gun he handled as a military policeman at the height of the Iraq war.

"Simply put: I wanted peace of mind when it comes to the safety of my family," Eaton said.

Eaton's pistol was one of 2.3 million firearms to fly off the shelves in March, the single busiest month for gun sales ever. The Washington Free Beacon spoke to half a dozen new gun owners who purchased a total of six handguns and two shotguns. All of the new gun owners provided proof of purchase, though some asked not to have their last names published because of potential career backlash.

"To me, it's all about protecting my family, and if a gun makes that easier, so be it," Scott, a California tech worker with a wife and daughter, said.

Many of the new gun owners cited concerns about personal protection as states began emptying jail cells and police departments announced they would no longer enforce certain laws. Jake Wilhelm, a Virginia-based environmental consultant and lacrosse coach, purchased a Sig Sauer P226 after seeing Italy enact a nationwide lockdown on March 9.

"[My fiancée and I] came to the conclusion in early March that if a nation like Italy was going into full lockdown, we in the U.S. were likely on the same path," Wilhelm said. "Given that, and knowing that police resources would be stretched to the max, I decided to purchase a handgun."


More:  https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/first-time-buyers-explain-why-coronavirus-drove-them-to-gun-stores-in-record-numbers/

[txradioguy]

If there's any positive to come our of this Chinese Virus mess...it's that people are rediscovering the fact that in reality, when the SHTF the only one able to protect your family and your valuables is you.  It's not gonna be the cops, it's not gonna be some elected politician.

It's going to be a good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun.

[sneakypete]

If there's any positive to come our of this Chinese Virus mess...it's that people are rediscovering the fact that in reality, when the SHTF the only one able to protect your family and your valuables is you.  It's not gonna be the cops, it's not gonna be some elected politician.

It's going to be a good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun.

@txradioguy

And there it is.

[mountaineer]

Biden Would Shut Down Gun Stores Amid Pandemic, Surrogate Says
Activist says Trump to blame for 'additional deaths' by keeping gun stores open amid pandemic
Stephen Gutowski and Graham Piro - April 22, 2020 5:00 AM

Gun-control activist and Joe Biden surrogate Fred Guttenberg said the presumptive Democratic nominee would shut down gun stores in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Guttenberg told the audience at a virtual town hall Monday that Trump was killing Americans by allowing gun stores to remain open, pointing to federal guidelines that labeled gun businesses "essential."

"This decision by this administration is going to lead to additional people dying in this country," Guttenberg said. "Joe Biden would not have called these essential businesses in the middle of a pandemic. It's that simple. And so shame on the politicians who allowed this to happen. Shame on the businesses who are using this pandemic as a business sales opportunity."  ...

Guttenberg went on to say that gun stores are contributing to the pandemic and selling to people who are not legally allowed to buy or own firearms, though he did not offer evidence of either claim.  ...

When in doubt, lie.
Full story at Free Beacon

[catfish1957]

If there's any positive to come our of this Chinese Virus mess...it's that people are rediscovering the fact that in reality, when the SHTF the only one able to protect your family and your valuables is you.  It's not gonna be the cops, it's not gonna be some elected politician.

It's going to be a good guy with a gun stopping a bad guy with a gun.

Bears repeating.....

Never considered myself a "prepper", but I have spent the last month adjusting in that direction.

[txradioguy]

Bears repeating.....

Never considered myself a "prepper", but I have spent the last month adjusting in that direction.

Same here.  And same with the adjustment in my thought patterns about prepping.

[sneakypete]

Bears repeating.....

Never considered myself a "prepper",...

@catfish1957

Me either,but life made that decision for me. A dose of reality will clear up any confusion you may have.

Anybody that attacks me is in a HEAP of trouble,and  a double heap if they are foolish enough to attack me at home.

I am,by nature,a live and let live guy,but all bets on your survival are off if I see you as a serious threat to me or mine.

[sneakypete]

Same here.  And same with the adjustment in my thought patterns about prepping.

@txradioguy

There are few certainties in life,but one of them is that if you have something most people want or need,under normal circumstances there will be a certain percentage of the population will want it bad enough to do whatever they have to do to take it from you.

Under extreme circumstances,that percentage rises to 100 percent of the population will want or need it bad enough to do whatever they have to do to take it from you.

There are few certainties in life,but two of the prime ones are listed above.

[txradioguy]

@txradioguy

There are few certainties in life,but one of them is that if you have something most people want or need,under normal circumstances there will be a certain percentage of the population will want it bad enough to do whatever they have to do to take it from you.

Under extreme circumstances,that percentage rises to 100 percent of the population will want or need it bad enough to do whatever they have to do to take it from you.

There are few certainties in life,but two of the prime ones are listed above.

You're right and to a certain extent I've been protected from that threat living inside the wire on various military installations throughout my career.

But that time is coming a close and the insulation from people wanting what I have because they don't is about to be stripped away.


And I also know too that if things got bad enough...people wouldn't let that security fence around where I live and work stop them either.

[sneakypete]

 @catfish1957 @txradioguy

The truth is EVERYONE alive today is a "prepper" at heart. It is genetic. If it weren't,mankind wouldn't have survived this long.

Why do you think the typical human spends most of their time preparing for the future,buying and trying to get a house paid off,trying to get advanced degrees or higher skill levels so they can earn a larger salary,invest in stocks and bonds,get IRA's,get vaccinations,etc,etc,etc. The list is practically endless.

The ultimate MINIMUM goal of ALL of this is to prepare ourselves and our families to survive potential hard times in the future. "Living large in retirement" is a secondary benefit. You first have to be alive to live to retire.

If mankind weren't "keyed by nature" to be this way,humanity would have ended at the cave man level,and there would be none of us walking the world today.

EVERYBODY knows this at a genetic level. Even Dim congresscritters and various other retards "know" this at the genetic level. The big difference is they are afraid of it,and they are cowards by nature that refuse to even consider anything that scares them.

THIS is why they hate us so much. They KNOW we are right,but they are personal cowards who know they will die cringing in terror rather than fighting back UNLESS WE SAVE THEM,and they resent this. This is NOT at a conscious level where they live in recognition of the cause and effect,but at a subconscious level,where it is more of an emotional response instead of an intellectual response.

And they will continue to hate us until they "grow up" and become adults instead of frightened children in adult bodies.

And this will last forever,or until the system that protects them collapses,and they become fertilizer.

[catfish1957]

@catfish1957

Me either,but life made that decision for me. A dose of reality will clear up any confusion you may have.

Anybody that attacks me is in a HEAP of trouble,and  a double heap if they are foolish enough to attack me at home.

I am,by nature,a live and let live guy,but all bets on your survival are off if I see you as a serious threat to me or mine.

@sneakypete

Same here.  Especially after hunger desparation inceases and the zombies start their looting campaigns.  I am already in the mode of making sure that I am within 3 seconds of a firearm at any given time.

[sneakypete]

Same here.  Especially after hunger desparation inceases and the zombies start their looting campaigns.  I am already in the mode of making sure that I am within 3 seconds of a firearm at any given time.

@txradioguy

I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't have a loaded firearm within reach and I wasn't in the shower.

When CCW was first proposed here,the local sheriff,who I had know before he even became a deputy,was against it. So I drove to the courthouse,went into his office,and asked him "WTF????"

He replied that he was concerned with citizens running around armed shooting each other for no good reason,and I reminded him that I had been carrying a handgun concealed my whole damn life,and he knew it. I even told him I had one in my pocket then,and asked him if he wanted to see it.

Keep in mind this is a rural area,and had VERY few deputies on duty after dark back then. In fact,a couple of deputies had came to my house after dark to ask me if I would be willing to grab my 45 and take a ride with them because they had a call to run that might be dangerous because it involved a crowd of drunks.I was to stand in the background and remain silent unless he was attacked. They did this because they literally had no choice. They were patrolling a section of the county alone,and had no backup on call.The sheriff knew this,and we had all just been pretending it wasn't happening. A "nod and wink" kind of thing.

Anyhow,the sheriff thought it over for a few mintues,and told me I had changed his mind.

I got a call from him the day before CCW became a reality,and he ordered me to be standing in his office at 9 AM the next morning because he was going to personally do my paperwork,fingerprint me,and send my paperword to the capital.

He also told his secretary to not bother him with questions if I came in wanting a permit to buy anything,including machine guns.Just go ahead and sign off on it and sent it in.

[catfish1957]

@txradioguy


Anyhow,the sheriff thought it over for a few mintues,and told me I had changed his mind.

I think there is enough data and stats out there now, that have showned that concealed carry, is better detereant than anyone realizes.

When a perp invades, he is not familiar with the battleground, your armory, your temperment, tripping hazards etc.  All he has is the element of surprise. 

[sneakypete]

I think there is enough data and stats out there now, that have showned that concealed carry, is better detereant than anyone realizes.

When a perp invades, he is not familiar with the battleground, your armory, your temperment, tripping hazards etc.  All he has is the element of surprise.

@catfish1957

Well,I live in what is still sorta a rural area,and even the city dweebs that have moved here know that "the local rednecks are all armed and dangerous",so home invasions just ain't something that happens here.