I just noticed this on the
website of a gun dealer in my state (a store I plan to visit next time I'm in his town).
The Firearms Industry is Preparing for Shortages in Guns and Ammunition Like That Seen During the 2008 Election. Here’s Why... And My Advice on How to Beat It.
This is an election year and as I’m sure you’ve noticed, the nation has never been more polarized nor could the results of the election in November be more uncertain. Unfortunately however, due to recent high-profile cases including the Florida “Stand Your Ground” Law and the Justice Department’s Operation Fast & Furious, coupled with mounting pressure from anti-gun groups and even foreign entities like Mexico and the UN, your right to keep and bear arms has not been under a more grave threat since the Brady Campaign took hold in 1994 with the enactment of the Assault Weapons Ban.
Even though President Bush allowed the ban to expire, there is no question whatsoever that, if re-elected, the Obama administration will pursue every avenue to bring back the Assault Weapons Ban and enact even tighter regulations that will further restrict your rights.
Don’t be misled by political terminology... So you like shooting handguns and hunting and don’t think you’ll be affected by another ban on Assault Weapons? To put it in perspective, right now I have 156 guns in this shop. If the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 were to be re-enacted this very moment, even with no additional restrictions, there would be only 23 guns left in my shop that I could sell to any law-abiding citizen. The remaining 133 would be illegal to own. Period.
Contrary to popular belief, Congress is not needed to enact any of these restrictions. The administration, through the Justice Department can promulgate arbitrary and capricious regulations on manufacturing and importing of firearms and place restrictions on things like magazine capacity and even the number of guns one may purchase in any given timeframe. If that isn’t all, the government now has new confirmed strength in taxing authority thanks to the Supreme Court’s recent ObamaCare ruling, which could likewise be used to tax gun owners for the guns they own. The threat is endless.
This is not a call to action or a scare tactic to get you to the polls. You should be self-motivated to do that anyway. What I am trying to alert you of is a more imminent threat. With the uncertainty of the election and its ultimate impact on the Second Amendment rights of citizens, the firearms industry is anticipating an unprecedented surge on sales of guns and ammunition. Think back to 2008 and 2009… Starting in August before the election and lasting almost a year, the market for firearms and ammunition exploded. Shelves were bare everywhere you looked. I personally remember driving 60-miles to a small gun shop in Pennsylvania to retrieve two boxes of 9mm ammo because that was the closest place that had them in stock. Two boxes was all they would sell me and they cost almost $20.00 a box. I had just gone into business at that time and as a dealer, I could not even get the most basic firearms. I begged the distributors for Rugers, Smith & Wessons, anything they would give me. AR-15 rifles, Glock handguns, even Ruger revolvers were on backorder, some for up to 6 months.
The problem: consumers were purchasing firearms faster than the manufacturers could build them. The shortage then caused panic, spurring higher costs and even longer lines at the gun counter. To put it bluntly, this will happen again.
Recently, one of the nation’s largest sporting goods distributors held a meeting of board members and other industry professionals to address an anticipated surge in firearms sales and what they came up with is mind-blowing. It is estimated that firearms sales will increase 40-60% between now and the November election.
Based on statistics from this same timeframe in 2008, it is estimated that consumers will see increases averaging 23% in firearm and ammunition prices. While the increase in the number of sales and prices are driven by demand and that cannot be controlled, it was resolved that in order to ensure at least a steady availability of firearms to the market both leading up to and in the months following the election, distributors and dealers would need to begin hoarding high-demand items and allocating them out over time.
I want my customers to know that while I will have to wait for allocated items to be delivered to me, I will not institute this practice in my store as it is simply unfair to customers. While I reserve the right to limit sales of ammo and other ultra-high demand items to two or three per customer, all items in my store will be sold on a first come, first served basis. That being said, come November I can almost guarantee that pickings are going to be slim and my case and wall will be void of the most popular guns and ammo.
I promise that I am doing everything I can right now to soften the blow in November. I have temporarily suspended my layaway services in order to free up space and stay financially liquid so that I can keep a good stock of firearms on hand. I also promise that demand is going to outweigh supply and sooner or later, my shelves will reflect that.
I understand that right now, everyone is spending their disposable income on vacations and day trips to Kennywood and boat rentals, but as soon as summer is over, everyone will rush in and try to stock up before the election and that will be the beginning of the surge... And then they will get mad at me when the items they want are sold out and backordered.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE!!!!! Please take this advice… Estimate the amount of ammunition you will need over the next year and buy it now while it’s available and cheap. Also, if there are any firearms you plan to buy over the next year, figure which one(s) might be the hardest to get and consider buying them now, before prices go up and while they are available. If you have the extra money, buy items you might think will be in high demand even after the election, just in case things turn out poorly. Not only will you have the guns, accessories, and ammo that you would have ultimately purchased anyway, but also it could turn out to be a good investment.
If the Assault Weapons Ban or similar restrictions are re-enacted you will wish you had. These items will not be available forever and will almost certainly be worth more in the future as prices continue to climb.-
