Irony: Anti-Gun Rhetoric Drives Gun Sales Up

If gun sales records are any indication, the best way to reduce gun sales is to have a pro-gun president and Congress. That irony escapes the anti-gunners in the media and politics, who rabidly attack firearms, those who own them, and the Second Amendment.

Truly, the best and most effective way to reduce gun sales is to stop trying to ban them—that’s what’s become crystal clear after looking at the gun sales under President Obama and President Trump.  Under President Barack Obama, gun sales soared the final four years of his presidency. Threats against the Second Amendment drove much of the sales. With President Trump’s seeming support of organizations like the NRA and the GOP in control of the Senate, who have historically been very pro- Second Amendment, gun sales have sagged for the last three years.

The true irony is this: The harder anti-gunners try to ban firearms, the more they drive firearm sales. The more anti-gunners try to ban firearms, the more U.S. citizens affirm they oppose such policies. They do so with their wallets and purses.

Yes, women do buy firearms, and in increasing numbers. Many also are getting CCW permits or carrying openly to protect themselves.

The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) in 2017 reported women and minorities in the United States are embracing the Second Amendment in increasing numbers by obtaining CCW permits. As of 2016, 16.3 million citizens obtained CCW permits, and had grown by nearly 2 million that year and three years prior. Those are record numbers of people getting CCW permits, with women and minorities accounting for most of them.

While women and minorities are leading the pace on getting CCW permits, they also are among the largest growing demographics of gun owners. Firearms in the right hands are ideal for self-defense and preservation of life. People who live in high-crime areas know that better than anyone else. And the more anti-gun politicians threaten the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, the more U.S. citizens are embracing firearms.

“It’s pretty much the most vulnerable people in our society who benefit the most from having the option to be able to go and protect themselves,” CPRC founder John Lott said.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his anti-gun lobbying group Everytown for Gun Safety poured $25 million into local elections to get anti-gun politicians elected. Those efforts helped hand control of the Nevada Legislature and governor’s office from Republicans to Democrats, who are working to erode Second Amendment rights in that state. They intend to repeat the success nationally with an anti-gun presidential candidate like Biden, Warren, Harris or Buttigieg.

Fundamental American rights are at risk – especially the ones our Founding Fathers found most important: freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. That is especially true when the two coincide. Wear a shirt that depicts a perfectly legal firearm, and anti-gunners might accuse you of “hate speech” and intimidation by “triggering” fear of a mass shooting. Openly carry a firearm, and even worse happens.

Anti-gun politicians want to gain control of the Senate and presidency to ban military-style firearms and make it harder to buy and carry handguns. They already have control of the House. The growing numbers of U.S. citizens embracing the Second Amendment – led by women and minorities, just might thwart them.