Americans buy record numbers of guns for Christmas
Americans bought record numbers of guns last month amid an apparent surge in popularity for weapons as Christmas presents.
According to the FBI, over 1.5 million background checks on customers were requested by gun dealers to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in December. Nearly 500,000 of those were in the six days before Christmas.
It was the highest number ever in a single month, surpassing the previous record set in November.
On Dec 23 alone there were 102,222 background checks, making it the second busiest single day for buying guns in history.
The actual number of guns bought may have been even higher if individual customers took home more than one each.
Explanations for America’s surge in gun buying include that it is a response to the stalled economy with people fearing crime waves. Another theory is that buyers are rushing to gun shops because they believe tighter firearms laws will be introduced in the future.
I guess we all need something to fight the criminals using Holder’s weapons.
via GP
And ammo.
Always a great investment.
For those who are anti gun, I have a simple question. If you are being mugged or beaten up, do you want it to be in an area where guns are banned, or in an area where conceal carry is legal and several people in the area could be packing? I’m glad I live in heavily armed Idaho. I feel safer here than I have anywhere else.
@Smorgasbord:
Great question, S.
I wonder if any will try to answer it.
Last night I heard about a car that was full of children when its driver lost control and it went into a freezing cold river.
One man was enlisted to help by screaming women.
He couldn’t get the doors open or the windows down so he USED HIS GUN to break a window.
Then he couldn’t free the children from their seat belts to get them out of the water so he USED HIS KNIFE to cut those belts.
The children would have died without a person – who had weapons – happening by and helping.
Nan#3 Damn lucky to have Rambo,or did O.J. escape?,in the neighborhood. LOL
@Nan G: so…he was only successful to save them because he had a gun? no other “tool” would have worked? a hammer would have been useless? a brick? no…you’re implying that the ONLY way these people could have been saved was because the guy had a gun.
sorry…not a good example to support your argument.
and in response to Smorgasbord…i am not anti-gun, but i am in favor of some control. by that i mean…assault rifles and automatic weapons, in my opinion, shouldn’t be in the hands of private citizens. yes…some will argue that it is not the “responsible” gun owners who are the problem, so why should they be punished. that’s life. the same argument could be made about welfare. all it takes is a few bad apples and the entire system needs to be re-examined.
also…i question the validity of the 2nd Amendment in this day and age. the same goes for the electoral college. but what do i know? i’m just a silly tree-hugger with a public education.
hope everyone’s holidays were happy and the new year is kind.
@Nan G: #3
I carry a hammer in the center console of my vehicle in case it goes into water. I am sure I won’t remember it being there if it happens, but it will be there. When I entered Canada, I had to explain what it was doing there.
When I was in our Sheriff’s office for something else, just out of curiosity, I asked, “How hard is to get a conceal carry permit?” The lady reached under the counter, pulled a paper out, and slid it across to me. I figured that since I put her to all of the trouble I would go ahead and fill it out.
I don’t worry about where I live, but when I go to Boise, I usually leave here in the afternoon and stay late in the evening, having a meal at a nice restaurant before I leave. I don’t know what areas are the danger areas, and there is always the chance of someone trying to mug me or take my new pickup.
@C Andrew Scott: 0.#5
One things that works is ENFORCING the gun laws we have. I don’t remember the city’s name, but they passed a MANDATORY five year prison term ADDED ON TO any sentence given if they used a gun in the commission of the crime. The crooks don’t use guns because they don’t want to do the MANDATORY five years.
You won’t here about it on the propaganda media, but study after study has shown that cities that allow their citizens to have guns, have fewer crimes than those who don’t. Common sense will explain why: If you are a crook and one city near you allows people to have guns, and another city near you doesn’t, which city are you going to do your crookery.