Obama Still Scaring Up Gun Sales

FBI reports surge in background checks

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 20, 2009 6:52 PM CDT

(Newser) – The surge in gun and ammunition sales that started with Barack Obama's presidency shows no sign of abating, NPR reports. In California, gun sales are up 32% from a year ago, and the FBI has reported a consistent rise in applications for background checks. Gun retailers and consumers continue to credit the surging sales to widely-held fears that the Obama administration will move to restrict gun ownership.

"I think many gun dealers are using it as a marketing tool, playing on unreasonable fears," Sen. Dick Durbin said. But public opinion has also become more conservative on guns: “A year ago 58 percent said it was more important to control gun ownership than to protect the right to own guns," says Carroll Doherty, associate director at the Pew Center. "And now opinion is almost evenly divided.”

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (1)]

Case Vermillion answers a customer's question at a gun shop in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Curtis Irwin holds a .50 caliber rifle to show at a gun shop in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

President Obama speaks about the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the 40th anniversary of his assassination at Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., Friday, April 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Barack Obama speaks during a fundraiser for Democratic House and Senate candidates, Thursday, June 18, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Everybody's a little nervous about Obama and everything that's going on with him and the legislation that John Kerry and the likes of him are trying to push through. - Christopher Urban, customer at a Chantilly, Va., gun show

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

White Grandfather Cuffed for Walking With Black Granddaughter (NewsOne)

Man in Mugshot Explains Why He Has Half a Head (HuffPost)

These Exes Were Spotted Making Out … and That's a Bad Thing (Bleacher Report)

Help! I'm Having an Incestuous Relationship With My Twin (Slate)

Proof that Twitter Users are Sexier Than Facebook Users? (GeekSugar)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 23 comments

riffran

Jun 22, 2009 2:15 AM CDT

gun control is hitting what you aim at...lol...and a well sighted 30.06 is just a perk....

riffran

Jun 21, 2009 12:57 PM CDT

actually...the tendancies are that people who own their own home, and or land, and live in a primarily suburban or rural setting, tend to be conservative...conversely people that rent and live in dense urban populations with a much higher cost of living, tend to be liberal....who is richer or poorer?,,,,I think it's a 50 50 thing

drlarrymitchell

Jun 21, 2009 12:54 PM CDT

Gun nuts tend to be simple-minded sacred people. Lots of Daddy-damage, lots of penis envy. Pathetic bunch, really- which is why they purchase and brandish guns. The guy with the gun may be a pussy, but only a fool will tell them so. In the mind of a gun-nut, it makes it as though the truth is no longer valid. We know better.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds Major Cash Inside

Study Finds Arsenic in Baby Formula, Cereal Bars

NPR (Source Grid »)

More on soaring Calif. gun and ammo sales
Redding News

Smith and Wesson stock up on sales, acquisition
Reuters

Barack Obama • gun sales • conservative • Democrat • Second Amendment • Dick Durbin • guns

More Newser Stories

DC Delegate: Ban Guns Near Obama

Says pistol-packers too close; Secret Service says not an issue

(NEWSER) - Washington DC's congressional delegate is watching gun-toting protesters outside venues where Barack Obama speaks, and she's not gonna take it anymore, reports The Hill. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton—whose constituency last year had its handgun ban tossed by the Supreme Court—wants guns banned in the president's vicinity, and is calling for Homeland Security and the Secret Service to flex their muscles. More»

Post-Election Gun Sales Spike

Some afraid of bans; others expect civil unrest

(NEWSER) - Gun sales were up before the election, but the numbers have shot through the roof since Barack Obama's win, the Chicago Tribune reports. As stores sell out of assault rifles and enthusiasts stock up on Glocks, people offered a few different reasons for their purchases. Some anticipate new weapons bans; others want to be ready for civil unrest. More»

Buy Car, Get Gun Free

Have gun, will travel: Dealer offers pistol bonus

(NEWSER) - Sales have shot up at a Missouri car dealership with a novel new promotion, reports the BBC. Anybody buying a new car at Max Motors before the end of the month gets a $250 gas card—or a gun. The "God, Guns and Gas" deal was inspired by Barack Obama's comments about small-towners clinging to guns and religion, according to the owner, who recommends a particular "nice little handgun" that fits in a pocket. More»

Why Gun Sales Are at Record High

Social acceptance of guns explains new Black Friday record: Analysts

(NEWSER) - This year's Black Friday gun sales broke a record set in 2008 by nearly a third , and while fears about President Obama outlawing some types of firearms are thought to be behind 2008's record, analysts say this year's surge in sales is part of a long-term trend. Gun ownership was "politically incorrect" five years ago, but "what seems to be changing is social acceptance," an analyst at investment firm Avondale Partners tells MSNBC . "I think there might be a changing view of firearms." More»

Guns Sales Smash Record on Black Friday

129,166 firearm sales beat old mark by 32%

(NEWSER) - Deck the halls with hails of gunfire? It turns out that Black Friday didn't just set a record for retail sales , it also set a record for the most firearms sold on a single day, reports USA Today . A stunning 129,166 firearms were sold on Nov. 25—that's 32% higher than the previous record, from Black Friday in 2008 when 97,848 were sold. These figures are based on background record checks sent by gun deals to the FBI. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Obama Still Scaring Up Gun Sales