Kathy Jackson

Poster courtesy Oleg Volk, www.olegvolk.net. Used by permission.

If you bought a gun this week, you're not alone. While exact figures aren't yet available, gun stores across the nation reported record-breaking sales in the days following the national election.

"Sales have been… well… brisk. Maybe a better word would be insane. We've sold out of everything three times over, and we're bringing in more guns as fast as we can find them and call in favors. If you're waiting for something, let's put this in perspective. I talked to Stag the day before the election and they had received orders for 6,000 rifles in the last few days. They were out 4 weeks [backordered], and that was before" the election, reports Larry Correia of FBMG, Inc., a gun store near Salt Lake City, Utah.[1] When I talked to him Saturday night, he added that sales had only gone up since the blog entry that quote came from was written, and that Saturday had been their biggest sales day in the history of the store.

FBMG was not alone in that. According to an AP report, on Election Day, Franklin Gun Shop (near Nashville, Tennessee) experienced their biggest sales day since the shop opened eight years ago. Guns & Gear (Cheyenne, Wyoming) also set a one-day sales record last Tuesday, only to break that mark on Wednesday.[2]

Even before the ballots were counted, firearms sales -- measured by the number of background checks run through NICS -- were up 10 to 15% over the numbers reported in October 2007. "The increase in firearms sales was predictable," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "It's clear from President-elect Obama's voting record, and the promises that he continues to make, that gun control will be coming back to the White House. Eloquent rhetoric notwithstanding, sportsmen, gun owners and prospective gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly."[3]

Blah, blah, blah ... so far, I haven't told you anything you didn't already know, assuming you've been in a gun store at all this week. You've seen the lines and felt the tension in the air. Pretty much everywhere, gun owners are asking themselves, "Now what?"

Here's my plan.

Don't Panic. Gun owners have seen and endured worse political times. Besides, if worse comes to worst -- we've got the guns. What is there to panic about?

Admit the Truth. The truth is that there's a gun-grabber in the White House. And the party most traditionally associated with the loss of firearms rights is most definitely and assuredly in complete control of both the House and the Senate. And the majority of the voting population put them there.

Admit the Whole Truth. The rest of the unpalatable truth above actually contains a germ of hope. It's this: that party "most traditionally associated with the loss of firearms rights" isn't actually all that energized about grabbing guns this time around. Sure, Obama's extremely anti. But the rest of the crew, not so much. After all, firearms ownership is not the private property of conservative Republicans: it belongs to Americans of all political stripes.

Celebrate the Good. Gun owners this week have done more to spur the national economy than all the planners of stimulus checks ever hoped for. That's good for the economy and good for retailers and good for manufacturers ... and it frightens the anti-firearms brigade. What more could you want out of life? True to form, some crotchety types are already griping about the positive news that a lot of people are buying guns. Get over it, guys. The surge in gun ownership is a good thing. You think the politicians aren't watching the numbers? Those people live and die by the numbers! Welcome the new gun owners. They may well be our salvation.

Poster courtesy Oleg Volk, www.olegvolk.net. Used by permission.

Embrace Diversity. Despite what the professional anti-firearms-rights folks want everyone to believe, firearms owners come in every color, adhere to every religion, and live in every part of the country (both rural and urban). One participant in an online discussion group wrote, "At the Tulsa Gunshow yesterday I saw the most unlikely mix of people buying hicap pistols and rifles, and lots,and lots,and lots of mags and ammo. Yuppies, gays, lesbians, old ladies (black and white), Hispanics, gothics and even a smelly neo hippy vegan or two all buying guns and all of them with very determined looks on their faces. I saw people who I would never have imagined in a million years carry AR15s, SKSs, M11/9 clones, G3 Clones over their shoulders and often carrying a case of ammo."[4] This is the way things are supposed to be. Firearms rights belong to every American.

Don't Be Selfish. Okay, now we're really getting into it. I don't mean, "Don't be selfish and cling to your gun (and your religion)..." Cling away! But don't be selfish in planning for the future. If you are one of the bajillion gun owners who bought a gun this week, it's probably because you're worried about the future of gun rights in this country. So now is not the time to plan only for your own firearms collection. Start planning now for the firearms your children and grandchildren will own. If you want your children or grandchildren legally able to inherit the firearm you purchased this week, what are you doing to make that happen?

Get Active. So, admit the truth. You bought a gun (or two or three) this week because you are worried about the future of firearms rights. Now's the time to put that fearful energy to better use than simply "clinging" to the physical objects in your safe. Cling to the idea of gun ownership by throwing some money and time into your local gun rights organizations. Get on their email lists so you know what's going on. Write to your representatives (yes, even the ones playing for the other team) and welcome them into office. Let them know you'll be watching them. If you've never visited your state capitol, plan to make a trip one day soon and let your politicians know what issues motivate you to vote.

Poster courtesy Oleg Volk, www.olegvolk.net. Used by permission.

Remember All Politics Are Local.  The old adage is more true today than it ever was before. Despite the huge uproar that a national election makes, local assaults on freedom happen all the time. The ones that succeed are copied elsewhere and eventually appear on the national stage. The ones that fail ... fail. And the old bit about fighting City Hall? Let's turn to Jeff Cooper for that one:  "It is interesting to hear certain kinds of people insist that the citizen cannot fight the government. This would have been news to the men of Lexington and Concord..." When gun owners take care of local politics, national politics are much friendlier toward gun owners.

Take the Long View. In the short term, we may need to batten down the hatches and prepare to battle a storm of ill-conceived political notions with dreary work like writing letters, making phone calls, and lobbying our representatives. In the long term, though, our firearms rights depend upon the number of other gun owners and voters we can bring to our cause. Whenever an experienced gun owner takes a new shooter to the range, our firearms rights become just that much more secure. And here's the good news: the work it takes to bring a new gun owner into the fold is fun! All you need is a firearm you're willing to share (got a .22 in that safe?), a commitment to safety, and a willing attitude.

Take a Friend to the Range. Okay, so you're convinced that the future of gun ownership lies in the hands of new shooters everywhere. Wonderful! Now turn to your friends and neighbors and get them to the range. Yes, even those icky liberals. Especially those liberals. If every person who reads these words takes just one friend to the range, creating a single new shooter every month for a year, our firearms rights would be in good hands. It's up to you.

Poster courtesy Oleg Volk, www.olegvolk.net. Used by permission.

Sharpen Your Own Skills. If you're going to take people to the range with you, you'd better know what you're doing and how to keep them safe. Not too sure you're ready for that? Sign up for a professional training class. Take another firearms class. Become a certified RO for a shooting sport. Join the NRA and become a certified firearms instructor. Whatever it is, take the next step so you are ready, able and prepared to get new shooters up and running safely.

Don't Quit. It's easy to get discouraged, and most people are more inclined to sprint than to marathon. Nevertheless, we didn't get into this position overnight, and we won't get out of it overnight. Do what you can, when you can, as much as you can. And keep up the good work.

Underneath this article, I've attached a list of all the local gun-rights organizations I could find. Some of them are active and wonderful and vibrant. Some of them not too much. Some of them are ideologically pure and some of them are pragmatic compromisers. And a few of these organizations (to judge by the websites) sure look as if they could use a hand. What you decide to do about that is up to you.

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Kathy Jackson is the Managing Editor of Concealed Carry Magazine.

State and Local Gun Rights Organizations