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The United
Nations may think they’re weapons of mass destruction, but Americans seem to
disagree.
2011 was yet another record breaking year for gun
sales, with Americans purchasing some 10.8 million firearms, a 14% increase
over the previous year and up over 50% from ten years ago as reported by the National
Shooting Sports Foundation:
 
Many indicators, including a record-setting 2011,
show the firearms industry continues to thrive in a down economy and
that the potential exists for another strong sales year in 2012, reports the
National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms,
ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.
…
Indicators such as background-check statistics,
firearms production and importation, firearm-retailer surveys and
on-the-ground reports from retailers nationwide reveal that interest in
firearm ownership is high. “More and more Americans are choosing to
exercise their Second Amendment rights, and they are doing so in a safe and
responsible manner,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
…
One of the best indicators of firearms sales is the
FBI’s National Instant Background Check System, which federally
licensed firearm retailers use to conduct the mandatory background check on
purchasers of new and used firearms. NSSF downwardly adjusts the NICS data by
subtracting checks related to non-purchasing activity, such as checks for
concealed carry permits, in order to gain a more accurate picture of market
activity.
December marked an unprecedented 19th straight month
of background check increases when compared to the same period in the previous year.
…
Why are more Americans choosing to own firearms?
Reasons range from citizens’ increased awareness of the Second
Amendment protecting the individual right to own firearms that was reaffirmed
in two recent Supreme Court decisions, to increased interest in personal and
home protection that may be due to economic uncertainty, to increased
interest in the shooting sports and hunting.
Politics has played a role, too, with a surge in
firearms sale beginning in October 2008, in part because supporters of the
Second Amendment feared the election of less gun-friendly candidates,
including Barack Obama, and new, restrictive gun laws they might advocate.
Though such legislation has not happened, industry professionals at the SHOT
Show believe a similar reaction this election year is possible that could
ignite another surge in firearm sales.
Related to the topic of gun sales is the
public’s changing attitude toward ownership. A recent Gallop poll
showed a record lack of support for gun control, with only 26 percent of
Americans favoring a ban on the possession of handguns. When Gallup first
asked Americans this question some 50 years ago, 60 percent favored banning
handguns.
As sales climb, recent FBI data shows violent
crime continuing to fall in the United States, with homicides dropping out of
the top 15 causes of death in the country. The statistics undermine a
favorite argument of anti-gun groups that “more guns equal more
crime.”
“These statistics vividly demonstrate that the
lawful possession and use of firearms by law-abiding Americans does not cause
crime,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general
counsel. “There have never been more firearms in civilian possession in
the history of the United States, and crime, including homicide, continues to
decline throughout the country.”
According to Ammoland, more guns were purchased last year in the United States than than there are active duty military members in the
world’s fourteen largest armies combined:
·
Russian
Federation 1,027,000
·
North
Korea 1,106,000
·
South Korea
687,000
·
Vietnam 455,000
·
India
1,325,000
·
China 2,285,000
·
Iran 523,000
·
United States 1,468,364
·
Republic
of China 290,000
·
Brazil
327,710
·
Pakistan 617,000
·
Egypt
468,500
·
Cuba 49,000
·
Ukraine 129,925
·
Above
Total = 10,758,499
If you assume an average length of each gun as two
feet that would be 4090 miles of guns. That is fourteen times the length of
the Grand Canyon and all most twice as long as the Mississippi River and
17,280 times higher than the Empire State Building.
Japanese Fleet Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto was once quoted during World War II as saying,
”you cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be
a rifle behind every blade of grass.“
Enemies of the people of the United States and our
Constitution should take heed. We’ve
got guns. Lots of them, so just back off
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