Worries over a “major catastrophe” hitting the United States also drive firearms purchases

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Gun shops are citing fears over Barack Obama’s re-election to explain surging sales, with one store in Lubbock, Texas reporting “drastic” increases in firearms purchases, as a new National Geographic survey finds a majority of respondents believe America will be hit with a “major catastrophe” at some point.

“Now that it’s election season again, you have people uncertain… You have a customer or two coming in and saying that they’re buying because they’re afraid they won’t be able to get it soon,” said J.D. Clay, salesman at Sharpshooters Inc.

Sharpshooters report a 40 per cent increase in recent sales, a figure that has been matched or surpassed nationwide. Gun store owners in West Texas are reporting 50 per cent hikes in sales. The FBI reports a 23 per cent increase in background checks compared to the year before in the lone star state.

After record one day sales on Black Friday back in December, gun stores are also celebrating all time high sales for the month of February.

Gun manufacturerSmith & Wesson’s shares also shot up 18 per cent last week, their highest level in two years, on the back of reports of a 60 per cent surge in backlog orders.

Interest in gun shows is also rampant, with a record turnout of nearly 4,000 people showing up to an event in Iowa this past weekend. Concealed carry permits in the state have soared by as much as 270 per cent over the last year in some counties.

Gun enthusiasts fear that Obama will use his same duck second term to follow through on a promise he made to gun control advocate Sarah Brady during a White House meeting last year, that his administration was working “under the radar” to sneak attack the second amendment rights of American citizens.

“I’m constantly getting questions from people in the community about this,” firearms expert Alan Korwin told the Houston Chronicle. “We saw a fire sale when he was elected last time. But the speculation is that now … with his need to get re-elected gone, the sky is the limit on attacking the Second Amendment.”

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre has echoed the fears, telling a CPAC crowd last month, “All that first term, lip service to gun owners is just part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment during his second term.”

More generalized fears over an economic collapse and a breakdown in society are also spurring gun purchases as well as other items in preparation for “doomsday” scenarios.

A recent survey commissioned by National Geographic found that there are around 3 million “preppers” in America who are actively taking steps to protect themselves from the threat of unforeseen chaos. The vast majority of Americans who took part in the poll said they expected a “major catastrophe” to hit the United States at some point, with 51% believing there will be a financial collapse within 25 years and 29% fearing a super virus pandemic.

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