I grew up in a house where the bills were paid by IBEW union wages: a father from a solid blue county in rural middle Tennessee, a mother who is Native American from a solid blue county in rural Oklahoma, there are few who understand what it means to be a rural Democrat more than me. I grew up in Wyoming--when I stepped out my front door I could go 80-miles north on horseback and not cross a road. I don't mean a paved road, I mean a road. When I stepped out my back door I could go nearly as far. I grew up hunting big game and shooting rifles off a bench on my back porch. We had a range that went out to 1200-yards. By the time I was 14, I was very, very good with various long-range rifles and semi-automatic pistols. I went to the University of Wyoming and stayed in school a long time. Then I became a Marine Corps officer. I was TAD a lot at the M40A1 build shop in Quantico, at the rifle range at Lejeune, and qualified Expert with a service rifle (M16A2) and pistol (M9, M1911A1) every single time. When I got out of the Marine Corps, I returned to Wyoming, but I eventually moved to rural Kansas because I couldn't take the winters anymore. Recently, on the Daily Kos, I've become an interpreter of sorts, translating the meaning of the firearms control debate (Marines use the word "gun" rather esoterically) from a rural/country Democrat perspective to an urban/city Democrat perspective. I have been failing.
This is my first Daily Kos Diary. It will probably get me banned. If I do not get banned, I will write several more in an effort to translate the “gun” issue for people who do not understand the various Pro 2nd Amendment mindsets: rural Democratic, Republican, NRA, etc..
Like the Clinton Administration before, the Obama Administration has become a victim of unintended consequences when it comes to firearms in this country. So much so that the Shotgun News has placed both President Clinton and President Obama in a "Hall of Fame." (Not Hall of Shame, Hall of Fame. The quotes below come from the Shotgun News.)
http://www.shotgunnews.com/...
"The FBI recently announced that since the first full month of the Obama Administration, it has administered 70,291,049 National Instant Check System checks. That total in 49-months compares with about 36-million during the entire 96-month term of the George W. Bush administration. It is important to note that there is not a one-for-one correlation between NICS checks and gun sales. Some states run their own check. In many states, a CCW license substitutes for the NICS check. So 70 million checks doesn’t mean 70 million guns. But it means a whole lot of guns.
A total of 19,592,303 checks were performed in 2012, and the first quarter of 2013 saw 7,014,240 checks, which would be a full-year pace of more than 28 million. I would guess that is not going to happen, considering the greatly reduced stock of guns available. There just aren’t that many out there anymore, despite 24/7 production by all concerned."
So, for the entire Obama presidency, we’ve been running a NICS check every 1.8 seconds. The massed marketing talent of every gun company from Armalite to Zel Manufacturing could never have accomplished that, and it’s time to give credit where it’s due. Send your cards of appreciation to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC 20050."
“U.S. firearms and ammunition production surges to all-time high” (Headline from USA Today - The quotes below from USA Today.)
http://www.usatoday.com/...
Stag Arms, a small rifle company based in New Britain, Conn has, “built a thriving business on AR-15 rifles and only rifles. The 6,000 semiautomatics produced each month in the small assembly room at Stag Arms are double the number from just last year. Back orders for 70,000 more will take two years to fill.”
Based on what I am seeing, and what the people (who know) are telling me, EVERY AR-15 rifle manufacturer in the country have backlogs of at least 18-months: That means:
Alexander Arms, American Spirit Arms, ArmaLite, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Bushmaster Firearms International, Charles Daly firearms, Colt's Manufacturing Company, DPMS Panther Arms, High Standard Manufacturing Company, JP Rifles, Knight's Armament Company, Les Baer, Lewis Machine and Tool Company, Land Warfare Resources Corporation International (LWRCI), Olympic Arms, Para-Ordnance (Para-USA), Red Jacket Firearms LLC, Remington Arms, Rock River Arms, Ruger, Sabre Defence/Manroy USA, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Stag Arms, Sturm, Ruger, Wilson Combat, Z-M Weapons. This is not the complete list, by far, just the companies that I am familiar with, and these will soon be placing HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of new AR-15 type rifles on the street and into circulation.
The list above does not include International manufacturers who import and sell AR-15 rifles in the United States: Again, based on what I am seeing, and what people are telling me, these companies are also building and selling AR-15 rifles as fast as they can:
Colt Canada, Ferfrans, Floro International, Heckler and Koch, Sig Sauer, United Defense Manufacturing, Schmeisser.
AR-15 type rifles are not the only assault rifles that are being manufactured domestically, imported, and sold in HUGE RECORD NUMBERS in the United States.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
From what I’m seeing the following assault weapons are selling out nationwide at inflated prices:
AK47, AK47S, AK–74, AKM, AKS, ARM, MAK90, MISR, NHM90, NHM91, Rock River Arms LAR–47, SA85, SA93, Vector Arms AK–47, VEPR, WASR–10, and WUM, IZHMASH Saiga AK, MAADI AK47 and ARM, Norinco 56S, 56S2, 84S, and 86S, Poly Technologies AK47 and AKS; Barrett M107A1; Barrett M82A1; Beretta CX4 Storm; Calico Liberty Series; CETME Sporter; Daewoo K–1, K–2, Max 1, Max 2, AR 100, and AR 110C; Fabrique Nationale/FN Herstal FAL, LAR, 22 FNC, 308 Match, L1A1 Sporter, PS90, SCAR, and FS2000; Feather Industries AT–9; Galil Model AR and Model ARM; Hi-Point Carbine; HK–91, HK–93, HK–94, HK–PSG–1 and HK USC; Kel-Tec Sub–2000, SU–16, and RFB; SIG AMT, SIG PE–57, Sig Sauer SG 550, and Sig Sauer SG 551; Springfield Armory SAR–48; Steyr AUG; Sturm, Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Rife M–14/20CF; Thompson M1SB, Thompson T1100D, Thompson T150D, Thompson T1BSB, Thompson T1–C, Thompson T1D, TM1C; UMAREX UZI Rifle; UZI Mini Carbine, UZI Model A Carbine, and UZI Model B Carbine; Valmet M62S, M71S, and M78; Vector Arms UZI Type; Weaver Arms Nighthawk.
The point to all of this? As a starting point for a follow-up discussion it is important for the DK readership to be informed: Hundreds of thousands of new AR-15 type rifles are being manufactured, and will soon be placed into circulation. On top of that, hundreds of thousands of new assault weapons of differing makes are being manufactured and will soon be placed in circulation. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands already in circulation.
This is getting long, so I won’t discuss hunting rifles, sniper rifles, military bolt-action rifles, Garands, and semi-automatic pistols that are selling out nationwide. (But I will in another Diary.)
A certain segment of the US population, perhaps 5 million people, and maybe more, is arming themselves with the most accurate, most deadly weapons that money can buy—in astronomical numbers.
You should be concerned by the ramifications of this, scared to death by the horrible possibilities that could come from this.
My next DK Diary? The 5-million high capacity magazines that will soon be put on the street and into circulation (on top of what already exists) and the billions of rounds of ammunition being stockpiled, (on top of what already exists) and much more--that is if I'm not banned.