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Many Factors Explain ‘Black Friday’ Gun Buying Spree

CCRKBA.org

BELLEVUE, WA – -(Ammoland.com)- While some people are struggling to explain a gun buying surge reported on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms suggests there are several plausible explanations, all reflecting the times in which we live.

“Despite claims to the contrary,” observed CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “for many American citizens, the economy remains unstable, and the outlook for tomorrow is very uncertain. We’ve seen public safety budgets hacked to shreds by state and local governments that have spent themselves into near bankruptcy. Our streets, parks and state capitol buildings have been occupied by anarchists. Europe appears on the verge of financial collapse. Congress is unable to resolve our budget crisis.”

“And on top of that,” he added, “we’ve got a spectator president who always seems to be waiting for someone else to take action, perhaps because he wants someone else to blame for another plan that doesn’t work. Why is it any surprise that American citizens, including many for the first time, are buying firearms and ammunition?”

USA Today reported that the FBI’s National Instant Check center logged more than 129,000 background check requests last Friday, a new record surpassing the 97,848 checks conducted on Black Friday in 2008. The National Shooting Sports Foundation credits much of the buying to the realization by increasing numbers of citizens that they have a constitutional right to own guns. Also, more women are getting involved in shooting sports, including hunting, and more are carrying firearms for personal protection.

“Americans hope for the best,” Gottlieb said, “but they prepare for the worst. Some call that ‘panic’ but in reality, it is prudence. While there are some small signs of improvement, there remains a vast landscape of uncertainty. Sensible people have evidently concluded that it is better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States. The Citizens Committee can be reached by phone at (425) 454-4911, on the Internet at www.ccrkba.org or by email to InformationRequest@ccrkba.org.

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U.S. House Passes NRA-backed National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Legislation

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an important self-defense measure that would enable millions of Right-to-Carry permit holders across the country to carry concealed firearms while traveling outside their home states.

H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, passed by a majority bipartisan vote of 272 to 154.

All amendments aimed to weaken or damage the integrity of this bill were defeated.

“NRA has made the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act a priority because it enhances the fundamental right to self-defense guaranteed to all law-abiding people,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “People are not immune from crime when they cross state lines. That is why it is vital for them to be able to defend themselves and their loved ones should the need arise.”

H.R. 822, introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), allows any person with a valid state-issued concealed firearm permit to carry a concealed firearm in any state that issues concealed firearm permits, or that does not prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms for lawful purposes.

This bill does not affect existing state laws. State laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within each state’s borders. H.R. 822 does not create a federal licensing system or impose federal standards on state permits; rather, it requires the states to recognize each others’ carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.

As of today, 49 states have laws in place that permit their citizens to carry a concealed firearm in some form. Only Illinois and the District of Columbia deny its residents the right to carry concealed firearms outside their homes or businesses for self-defense.

“We are grateful for the support of Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor, Majority Whip McCarthy, Judiciary Chairman Smith and primary sponsors Congressmen Stearns and Shuler for their steadfast support of H.R. 822. Thanks to the persistence of millions of American gun owners and NRA members, Congress has moved one step closer to improving crucial self-defense laws in this country,” concluded Cox.

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

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