BBC Report: Liberals Are Now Buying Guns

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Tuesday December 20, 2016 · 10:00 AM PST

2016/12/20 · 10:00

Eighteen of 68 guns discovered by TSA agents at airports across the country, during the week of May 6 - 12, 2016. — See anything you like?

Brian Wheeler, for BBC News out of Washington DC reports Why US liberals are now buying guns too. In one word: Trump.

Clara, a 28-year-old nursing student, grew up in the Mid-West, where "the folks that had guns were seen as hicks" or were just "culturally different", she says.

But since the election of Donald Trump in November she has started going to a gun range for the first time and is shopping around for a semi-automatic pistol.

"It's been seeing the way that Trump's election has mobilised a lot of the far right and given them hope," she says, citing a rise in reports of hate crimes and neo-Nazi activity.

According to the story, gun sales in the U.S. had risen in October as conservatives feared Hillary Clinton was going to impose strict gun controls. Gun manufacturer stock prices dropped after Trump won the election and their fears eased — but Black Friday saw gun sales soar.

Some of this has been put down to gun retailers selling off stock at reduced prices, but there have also been reports of more "non-traditional" buyers, such as African Americans and other minorities, turning up at gun shops and shooting ranges.

The story names a few gun owner groups that have a liberal orientation: Liberal Gun Club, Pink Pistols (LGTB gun owners), and even Liberal Preppers.

In America, stockpiling weapons and food, in preparation for social and economic collapse, has tended to be the preserve of right-wing libertarians and foes of "big government". But the Liberal Prepper Facebook group - up to now a small band - reports a big increase in enquiries.

"A lot of people are worried that not only will [a Trump presidency] fail but that it will fail spectacularly to the point that we are going to end up on in one or more critical situations that we are just not prepared for," says Jeff, 36, one of the group's members.

The Economic Collapse Blog notes the emergency preparedness business has taken a huge hit as their usual customers now all apparently believe Donald Trump is going to take care of everything they feared — which means liberal preppers can find some real bargains now. (Although if you’re thinking of going off the grid with solar panels, odds are the Trump administration is going to make an effort to kill off all subsidies and incentives, so you might want to act now….)

Being a prepper is not entirely unreasonable either, given that Trump is filling the government with people who feel that no one should count on the government to bail them out (except for billionaire bankers and such). If natural disaster strikes, you’ll be on your own — remember these are the people who held up disaster relief for Superstorm Sandy, and who did such a great job responding to Hurricane Katrina.

Paranoia is a growth industry these days on the liberal side. It’s impossible to say just how big the trend of increasing liberal gun ownership really is — but it may be a real thing. The people cited in the story have a realistic attitude about it, not entirely tin-foil hat crazy, more like just being prepared:

"There are people who have professed to carrying a gun now because Trump made them feel unsafe," she says.

"I think their fears are groundless but I can't make them not be afraid, so whatever they need to do to feel safer, I don't have a problem with that as long as they do it responsibly."

Statement from Gwendolyn Patton, member of the Pink Pistols. Read the whole thing.

Historically, conservatives have been strong supporters of gun control when they themselves felt threatened. Given the militarization of police in the post 911 era, civilians have a long way to go in the arms race — armed resistance to a government takeover is pretty much a fantasy given the disparity in firepower. And for people of color, even being near a firearm or firearm-like object can effectively be a mandatory death sentence, carried out in the field.

The need to own firearms as a measure of personal safety is an indictment of declining social order and government failure. It’s a symptom of changing norms. It may also be a realistic appraisal of the situation.

What do you think?

Poll
218 votes Show Results
Do you own or plan to buy a firearm? (Hand gun, rifle, shotgun, etc.)

Do not own firearm. Do not want to own one.

Do not own firearm, thinking of buying one.

Will never own a firearm.

Own a gun, but no military or hunting background, or training.

Own a gun, military veteran.

Own a gun, hunter, have gone through training.

Gun owner - member of a club.

Own a gun, have had some training.

Other (see my comment.)

218 votes Vote Now!
Do you own or plan to buy a firearm? (Hand gun, rifle, shotgun, etc.)

Do not own firearm. Do not want to own one.

46 votes

Do not own firearm, thinking of buying one.

58 votes

Will never own a firearm.

4%

9 votes

Own a gun, but no military or hunting background, or training.

6%

13 votes

Own a gun, military veteran.

23 votes

Own a gun, hunter, have gone through training.

26 votes

Gun owner - member of a club.

2%

5 votes

Own a gun, have had some training.

30 votes

Other (see my comment.)

4%

8 votes

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BBC Report: Liberals Are Now Buying Guns

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