Is surge in firearms sales linked to election results?

December 4, 2008 12:35 am

NUMEROUS MEDIA reports and data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation revealed that firearm sales increased nearly 10 percent this year and were up 15 percent in October.

The trend continued into November. During election week (Nov. 3-9), the FBI received 374,000 background requests, "a nearly 49 percent increase over the same period in 2007," CNN.com reported.

The suspected reason sportsmen, gun-owners and collectors, and some new gun-owners are purchasing now is concern about a gun control agenda within the incoming Obama administration, NSSF leaders said. Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane, said, "It's clear from President-elect Obama's voting record, and the prom-ises he continues to make, that gun control will be coming back to the White House."

As evidence of concern over a potential gun control agenda, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Executive Vice President Rick Story points out that anyone vying for one of the approximately 7,000 political appointee jobs with a new administration must complete a detailed questionnaire.

Question 59 asks applicants: "Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage."

The references to ownership and registration issues implies some type of ongoing and recurring registration required beyond the background check required before the gun's purchase.

"The new Administration should immediately clarify how answers to this question will factor into its hiring process," Story said. "No one should be discriminated against because they avail themselves of their Second Amendment rights.

"If you want to assure sportsmen that you don't want to take away their rights, the first thing you do should not be making it look like 'Big Brother' is getting ready to watch their every move. Unfortunately, that is exactly what this question implies."

One concern is that anything that is a semi-automatic variant of a military rifle, or even looks like a military rifle, will again get tarred and feathered as a "semi-automatic assault rifle." Many in the media like to gush in wide-eyed fear when they report on sales of these firearms.

Yet, the relation to a true assault rifle is usually cosmetic. True assault rifles (the M-16 and AK-47 for example) can be configured as fully automatic military weapons capable of continuous firing as long as the trigger is depressed, like a machine gun. In operation, the military-styled sporting rifles are no different than your favorite Remington Model 7400, or your Beretta AL360 shotgun deer or bird hunting guns. You pull the trigger and a round fires.

Automatic firearms were severely restricted from civilian ownership by the 1934 National Firearms Act. Semi-automatic rifles that have a military look, such as the Colt AR-15, can be purchased and owned by civilians who pass the standard FBI background check.

Many of the sporting variants fire the .223-caliber bullet, which is the standard NATO 5.56 round, and is much less powerful than that used for any type of big-game hunting. Outside of military circles, it is best known as a varmint-hunting caliber.

For more on the issue, see nssf.org/media/FactSheets/Semi-Auto_Background.cfm.

Stand Thief

John Lysher of Fredericksburg recently wrote to advise hunters to lock up their deer stands when they place them on a tree--lest some bum steal them.

Lysher is 47 and has hunted in King George County since age 9. He has shared his hunting tradition with his children and recently took his 12-year-old son, Luke, on his first hunt.

"We had done all the preparation, hunter safety training, shooting, etc. in preparation for Luke's first deer hunt. Back in early November, we had set up a two-man ladder stand in a very good location on private land in the Mathis Point area," Lysher wrote.

Father and son were both excited as they made their way to the stand in the pre-dawn of opening day. Excitement quickly transitioned to shock and frustration. The stand was gone.

"Since I'm the only one hunting the property, sometime within the last week, someone decided they needed my stand and took it. Luke and I still made our way to another stand and hunted. His only comment was, 'We did all that work [putting up the stand] for nothing,'" Lysher wrote.

Lysher asked: "What does one say to a young hunter when we arrive to hunt and our stand has been stolen by a thief? I was speechless. And to ruin the first-time deer hunting experience for father and son."

A quality two-person ladder stand is not inexpensive. I'd tell folks to lock stands up, but the worst of the bunch will steal using bolt cutters.

There are all types of people in our deer woods. Most are honest and ethical, but enough aren't that they can dampen our hunting spirit and blacken our eye with non-hunters.

So, stand thief, here's hoping you have a miserable deer season--no, make that entire life. Maybe you could partially atone and begin changing your life by returning this stand with a note of apology attached.

And to the Lyshers, here's hoping you have a good remainder of the season leading to a lifetime of memories that come from your opportunities to get outdoors together.

Ken Perrotte can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at
Email: outdoors@freelancestar.com.