The Kalashnikov frenzy

The Washington Post reports that which we predicted about six weeks ago – Kalashnikov Concern products including their commercial version AK-47 have been scooped up by buyers after Executive Order 13662 banned their import in mid-July;

Jay Portz, vice president of RWC, said a run on the Russian-made rifles began almost immediately. While the sanctions didn’t impose any restrictions on sales of the more plentiful European or American knockoffs — and even a Russian variant not made by Kalashnikov Concern — Bunting said buyers learned of the ban on social networks and raced to get the real thing.

Of course, it’s the NRA’s fault;

Gun control advocates argue that buying frenzies are often stoked by the National Rifle Association. In a lengthy message to members after the Obama administration’s announcement, the NRA’s legislative organization said: “We of course recognize the important role that enacting sanctions can have in furthering legitimate U.S. foreign policy interests. However, in this instance the extent to which these actions coincide with the stated domestic policy goals of gun control supporters is more than a little unsettling.”

Four days after the NRA’s statement, The Truth About Guns, a popular firearms blog, proclaimed the AK-47 “buying panic begins,” adding, “Once again, the firearms industry owes President Obama a debt of gratitude.”

Hardly, we’ve seen it all before – the so called “Assault Weapon Ban” of the 90s spurred a buying frenzy of scary-looking black guns, so did the post-Sandy Hook threats of legislation. I even have a new rule – when someone tries to take away my own gun rights, I buy three more. That seems to happen once a year.

The gun sites that I visit, Guns America and Gun Broker still offer some Kalashnikov products, but the inventory seems to be drying up. Prices are only slightly elevated. But I’m not a fan of Kalashnikov products, so I haven’t been paying much attention to it. Conversely, it looks like the prices of ARs have dropped a few hundred bucks, so there’s an upside.

It seems to me that if the gun grabbers didn’t want people to buy guns, they’d stopping scaring people by threatening to ban them. Their incessant yammering about banning guns seems to have the opposite effect. They never learn.

I’d only freak if they banned 1911s, but even New York hasn’t completely banned those yet. Thanks to Chief Tango for the WP link.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Gun Grabbing Fascists