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You just can’t fool America’s yokel class.
Just because President BlackMan Obama has yet to send his mochachino-skinned army to bust down their doors, confiscate their weapons and impregnate their daughters doesn’t mean that he’s not going to do so really really soon.
So, much to the great delight of ammunition manufacturers, paranoia runs deep in the heartland and the goobers are gobbling up ammo like the Viagra they actually need:
Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition, a phenomenon apparently driven by fear that the Obama administration will increase taxes on bullets or enact new gun-control measures.
"In the last two months it’s gotten very, very difficult to find ammunition," says Richard Taylor, manager of The Firing Line, a gun shop and shooting range in the Denver, Colorado, suburbs.
"There are a lot of rumors floating around that the present government would like to increase taxes on ammunition. I think [there is] just a lot of panicked buying going on."
While campaigning for the White House, Obama supported re-enacting the now-expired ban on assault weapons. But there is no indication that the administration will take up that measure — or any other gun-control initiative –anytime soon.
Nonetheless, some gun owners aren’t taking any chances.
Being the thoughtful people that they are, the gun industry attempts to calm the populace. Or not.:
Each year U.S. ammo manufacturers make about 8 billion rounds, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Current production data won’t be in until late May, but the foundation expects the numbers to be way up.
"In order to keep up with demand for ammunition, manufacturers are working at full capacity, 24-7," says Ted Novin, an NSSF spokesman. "Currently demand for ammunition is outpacing supply."
Novin says he believes the reason is clear.
"The increase in demand for firearms and ammunition is largely attributable to gun owner concerns regarding the current political climate," says Novin, referring to the Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.
"Many of the lawmakers in power have a long history of supporting legislation that violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans," Novin adds. "Gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly."
You almost wonder why the gun industry even bothers to contribute to Republican candidates. From a profitability standpoint, that’s like shooting themselves in the face.
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I bet that boobs will beat bullets in the number of comments
How long do you think it’ll be before one of these ammo-hoarders gets careless with a cigarette? When it happens, I hope there’s a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEq3H-_3BLg
But… if the brain trust of the American heartland is merely hoarding all this ammo, doesn’t that mean that when they eventually realize that Obama is not, in fact, the islamocommieantichrist, they’ll stop buying, leaving the ammo producers w/ a sour market for their wares? Are they “too big (or well armed) to fail?”, in which case, will we have to bail them out? Or will Bubba and friends fire all their ammo in frustration when they realize that there’ll be no revolution, in spite of all the tea bags and Glenn Beck’s encouragement?
Hoarding ammunition? I believe that’s one of those “stealth” oxymorons. Ammunition is like bread: Best consumed while “fresh.” Most of the gun-toting wingnut class have never stumbled across a deer-crossing/illegal alien-crossing sign they didn’t feel the itch to shoot full of holes.
Maybe we should hold ammunition manufacturers responsible for replacing all of the bullet-riddled road signs in this country.
Eight billion rounds? That’s a LOT of fucking bullets. Shit’s not cheap, either. Wonder how much the obsessive reloaders add to that total?
Don’t look to the manufacturers of antibacterial detergent to tell anyone that it has no impact on viruses anytime soon.
I thought that project in Mesopotamia was the cause of the ammo shortage?
doesn’t that mean that when they eventually realize that Obama is not, in fact, the islamocommieantichrist, they’ll stop buying…
Fortunately for the ammo manufacturers, if you’re dumb enough to believe that Obama is the islamocommieantichrist in the first place, odds are good that you’re never going to realize that he’s not.
The right expended a ton of ammo shooting themselves in the foot over the last few years, and it has been quite painful. Trying to wrap myself around their logic, I would say they are reloading to shoot themselves in the other foot now, you know, cuz then the first foot won’t hurt as bad. It’s like a gun orgy bitches!
A friend of mine is also buying up ammo. The rumor that he heard is that the ammo makers are going to have to put serial numbers on every round, the idea being that if a bullet is recovered at a crime scene then it can be traced back to the person who purchased the lot.
As I told my wife, this will make the reloaders very, very, busy.
And yet, it never occurs to these paranoid assholes that this might actually be a stealth attack, and it’s the Obama administration sending its agents out with government cash to reduce the amount of ammo. After all, who needs to confiscate guns if your private Mochachino Militia has all the ammo? Fiendishly brilliant, say I.
Well, they may not be as crazy as they seem. Who knows if President BlackMan Obama (good one, TBogg) isn’t going to raise the price of bullets to $5,000? After all, Chris Rock said it was a good idea, and he’s black just like the Prez (they are all part of the same conspiracy, are they not?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDC-XQG1ifo
“Man, I’d blow your fucking head off if I could afford it.”
Wasn’t that in a Chris Rock routine years ago? Make bullets a $1000 each so people stop killing each other? Would be surprised if this conspiracy theory wasn’t already percolating in Greater Wingnuttia.
In this instance, I would ask myself WWJKD? (What Would John Kay Do?).
And I believe we have an answer from the summer of 1968:
“Fire all of your guns at once/And explode into space.”
Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition…
That’s the only running most of these folks have done in quite some time.