In the past, guns were seen as fairly ordinary implements for fighting and hunting, even though most aristocracies reserved them for themselves and their armies. Then English common law supported the ownership of firearms by the people, and the American constitution enshrined the natural right of defense by protecting the right to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment.
However, times are changing, and so are gun politics. For some people, they are taking a turn for the better. Others think that they are taking a turn for the worst. However, as the debate is getting more and more heated, gun sales are also changing based on these politics.
Politics and Gun Control
Politics can be described in several ways. It can be about the activities associated with a country’s governance, such as the debate between two parties contesting for power. At the same time, politics also involve the activity of improving a particular person’s or group’s status and power from within an organization.
National politics is about discussing what’s good or bad for the country–and every party comes with its own suggestions for improvement. Gun control is no exception from to this–-and its rising popularity has made it a very controversial aspect of American politics.
After the alarming number of school shootings that took place in recent years, activists have begun raising their voices. Students need to be protected and when a gun-related threat appears within the walls of the school, those who are inside need to be ready.
For this reason, President Trump suggested that at least some teachers should be allowed to carry guns in school. Some instructors have always carried concealed guns, but this suggestion aimed to make the carrying less “concealed”. This way, any potential shooter would know that if they attempted anything, they would also meet with trouble along the way.
This suggestion was not well accepted everywhere. While some schools did adopt this policy, they were met with complaints from some parents. For instance, a lawsuit was filed by parents against the Tamaqua Area School Board, claiming that this new policy would endanger the community and, obviously, their children.
Despite the controversies, America remains the leader of the world’s gun industry.
The Spike in Gun Sales
Whenever a threat to gun ownership arises, gun stock prices seem to be go ing up. This also happens with large shootings, such as at Orlando’s Pulsenightclub or the Las Vegas massacre of 2017.
These spikes in gun prices are so predictable now that investors are betting on them with each incident. The more the gun debate goes on, the more the gun popularity will grow, and increasing numbers of people will purchase guns. Gun prices also reflect performance and versatility–with more efficient guns being made every year.
This has been a pattern for quite some time, as gun sales rose consistently when Barack Obama was still President. Demand went down with the election of President Trump in 2017 who campaigned on his support of the Second Amendment. Despite this, with every new even, interest in guns spikes.
Restrictions and Gun Sales
Let’s talk a bit about restrictions. The more restrictions there are, the more interest may grow in the product, though it may be more difficult to increase sales. These Sales will generally depend on the states where the gun law is present. Where gun laws are more flexible, gun sales will respond more readily.
To continue with the example about armed teachers, more and more schools are encouraging their teachers to carry. It is believed that this might reduce the number of school shootings, as the shooters will be too afraid to attack those schools. As more teachers purchase guns, gun ownership would further grow.
Politics also caused reflects decreased popularity of one-gun-a-month laws. Where these laws are in effect, people can only purchase one gun each month. The number of murders didn’t decline, but sales took a big hit. When the laws are absent or repealed, gun sales move higher.
Gun politics, to an extent, raise fear in the hearts of people–which links it directly to influences gun sales. Surveys show that the biggest reason people purchase firearms now is for self-protection. People are afraid for their life, for their property, for their well-being – which strengthens gun sales.
At the same time, there is quite a political conflict expressed as fear for (and seeking to protect) one’s life and fear of guns putting lives at greater risk. Some believe that they should have the untrammeled right to bear arms for their own protection, others believe that making guns illegal would end gun violence. Interestingly, both positions tend to drive gun sales upward.
Final Thoughts
Gun sales are responsive to gun politics, and gun politics are influenced by gun sales. It’s a curious but obvious circle. The more guns are sold, the more opposition to their sales may mount—and the more guns then get sold.
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—Jay Chambers is a Texas business owner, archer, shooter and survivalist. He believes in free speech, resiliency and self-sufficiency in an increasingly unpredictable world.