In the wake of President Obama's reelection victory on Tuesday, gun sales have soared, as some gun owners stock up on automatic rifles, handguns and ammunition before what they believe will be a second-term crackdown by the Obama administration on the Second Amendment.
While there is no evidence that Obama will increase restrictions on gun ownership, many gun owners are taking no chances.
Obama has taken heat from gun control advocates for his lax efforts to regulate guns and automatic weapons in his first term, as well as his administration's passage of bills allowing concealed weapons in national parks and on Amtrak trains.
Stocks of gun manufacturing companies, like Smith & Wesson, are also up.
Some of the paranoia about gun rights is fueled by pundits, who use thinly-veiled apocalyptic pronouncements to whip viewers into a frenzy.
Referring to Obama's victory on election night, Donald Trump tweeted, "He lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in this country!"
Republican strategist Karl Rove accused Obama of dirty tricks on Fox News, saying, "He succeeded by suppressing the vote, by saying to people, 'You may not like who I am, and I know you can't bring yourself to vote for me, but I'm going to paint this other guy as a rich guy who only cares about himself.'"
And the National Rifle Association grows its membership by frightening gun owners with handouts that say things like, "Obama will try to give the United Nations authority over your firearms," and "The Obama administration armed violent criminals in Mexico in an attempt to frame American gun owners like you for Mexican drug crime." Neither statement is true.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
