After Obama, gun sellers may also love Hillary Clinton

[lostinblue 1,989]

After Obama, gun sellers may also love Hillary Clinton

Gun sellers have often said President Obama has been their best friend. Each time the president talks up the need for any sort of restrictions on firearms sales, the only thing that's sure to happen -- because legislation limiting sales never does -- is that gun sales enjoy another spurt.

Indeed, in 2008 the FBI processed 12.7 million firearms applications through its National Instant Criminal Background Check, a figure that leaped to 23.1 million in 2015, providing a rough approximation for sales.

And now some gun dealers say worries about a Hillary Clinton victory in the 2016 presidential election are already helping to keep gun sales booming. "She's going to try to continue where President Obama left off, and that would include the gun control route," said Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Guns in Austin, Texas.

Added Justin Anderson, director of marketing at Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina, the nation's largest gun store: "She will be very, very likely do her level best to erode gun rights. There is no question in our minds. There is no question in our customers' minds."

During Sunday's Democratic debate, Clinton, and rival Sen. Bernie Sanders traded barbs over the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which provides immunity for gunmakers and dealers from civil suits stemming from crimes committed with their products. The former Secretary of State and opponents of the law argue that it gave the firearms industry unprecedented legal protections, a notion that Sanders and gunmakers reject.

Clinton also supports what she calls a "commonsense approach" to reduce gun violence, including increasing the number of gun sales subject to background checks. Officials from the Clinton Campaign didn't respond to requests for comment for this story.

"Our industry is certainly going to oppose this type of political rhetoric wherever we can," said Michael Bazinet, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), a trade group representing the firearms industry.

Smith & Wesson (SWHC), whose roots date to before the Civil War, raised production on some products such as the M&P Shield handgun and the M&P 15 Sport II semi-automatic rifle in the latest quarter. Strum, Ruger (RGR) reported brisk demand for weapons used for self-defense such as centerfire pistols.

Shares of Smith & Wesson have skyrocketed nearly 80 percent over the past year, while Strum, Ruger rose 30 percent, outperforming the broader market. Not surprisingly, both publicly traded gunmakers recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

Smith & Wesson earned $551.9 million in revenue in 2015, nearly 90 percent higher than the $293.9 million in 2008. The sales increase at Strum, Ruger was even more dramatic, surging more than 200 percent to $551 million last year from $181.5 million seven years earlier.

The firearms boom is continuing. Requests for permits to the FBI hit 1.48 million in February, a 16.2 percent increase over the year-earlier period, according to data from the NSSF, which the trade group adjusts to reflect sales more accurately. Dealers report doing a brisk business in handguns that users like to conceal and say training classes are often full.

"Any 9-millimeter gun is hard for us to find right now," said Cargill of Central Texas Guns.

Business is also good at Hyatt Guns even though North Carolina has instituted stricter background checks that result in waits of about four months for permits that used to take weeks to process.

"It takes longer to get a gun in this state than in California," said Anderson of Hyatt Guns, who estimates that sales are up about 15 percent this year. "It's pretty frustrating." On the other hand, if Clinton is elected, that will likely mean four more good years for gun sales.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-obama-gun-sellers-may-also-love-hillary-clinton/

You folks that want less guns in the hands of law abiding people ... Make sure Killary does not get in .

[eieio 1,594]

Well….if anything this does show that Sanders…as kooky as he may be…..is his own man and not bought and paid for by anyone. Just like Trump.

Sanders makes it difficult for liberals to overlook his position on guns.

[ExPatty 502]

Get 'em while you can. Royalty like hillary don't believe the subjects should have guns, but at least ones already owned are generally grandfathered in.

[Dakine10 5,452]

Gun sellers and paranoia. A match made in heaven.

[ExPatty 502]

Gun sellers and paranoia. A match made in heaven.

Edited March 10, 2016 by ExPatty

[Dakine10 5,452]

There's not enough time in the day to watch politicians who make fools of themselves. That's one thing that is not partisan.

The gun lobby and gun sellers in particular benefit from scenario's where people buy guns. The more, the merrier. Those scenario's can be real or imagined.

[ExPatty 502]

There's not enough time in the day to watch politicians who make fools of themselves. That's one thing that is not partisan.

The gun lobby and gun sellers in particular benefit from scenario's where people buy guns. The more, the merrier. Those scenario's can be real or imagined.

I totally agree, but paranoia requires a conclusion derived substantially out of unfounded fear or delusion. I can point out specific gun laws that do literally nothing whatsoever to curb gun violence, but they are there nonetheless, despite heated opposition. This is for political points.

If you enjoy swimming pools, and we agree some kids die in them sometimes, and for some reason I get the support not to ban swimming pools but to do something arbitrary like banning your use of wearing red goggles when you swim (and red might be your favorite color), you're not being paranoid if other people start talking about arbitrary pool laws they want to pass. And those trying to pass them will infuriate you further when they consistently misspell the word pool, they think great white sharks exist in residential pools, and pools are a breeding ground for evil fairies.

[Dakine10 5,452]

I totally agree, but paranoia requires a conclusion derived substantially out of unfounded fear or delusion. I can point out specific gun laws that do literally nothing whatsoever to curb gun violence, but they are there nonetheless, despite heated opposition. This is for political points.

If you enjoy swimming pools, and we agree some kids die in them sometimes, and for some reason I get the support not to ban swimming pools but to do something arbitrary like banning your use of wearing red goggles when you swim (and red might be your favorite color), you're not being paranoid if other people start talking about arbitrary pool laws they want to pass. And those trying to pass them will infuriate you further when they consistently misspell the word pool, they think great white sharks exist in residential pools, and pools are a breeding ground for evil fairies.

The article says "each time the president talks up the need for any sort of restrictions on firearms sales. ..... gun sales enjoy another spurt."

Spurts in gun sales every time the president talks about restrictions is a reaction based on unfounded fear. Especially when we know that such legislation is not likely to follow. Now if the Democrat's had enough votes to actually pass this legislation, then I would not be so quick to say paranoia. Right now, and for most of Obama's presidency, that has not been the case.

[ExPatty 502]

It is a reaction, I just disagree it's unfounded fear. There are many cases of politicians trying to curtail guns in ways that are not possibly based in any science, and purely emotional (note I don't say all--many gun laws, whether constitutional or not, would impact statistics). Given the number of politicians who do this, it's quite reasonable to think there is a good chance that another politician will do the same thing. Ergo, buy guns before it happens.

If the criteria for this being paranoia or not is based upon a razor thin republican house majority, that's not really paranoia, particularly with the president writing executive actions that sidestep congress entirely. My state recently passed sweeping gun laws virtually overnight, some of which were so absurd they got struck down by a judge for their absurdity. Not the first time, won't be the last.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I guess we can be glad the pre-acceptance of Hilary becoming the next President is at least part of the OP discussion.

[ExPatty 502]

I guess we can be glad the pre-acceptance of Hilary becoming the next President is at least part of the OP discussion.

Most people here dislike hillary, but accepting her high likelihood of being potus does save us some preamble