An Oregon gun shop owner says the election of Barack Obama has dramatically affected gun sales.
(COOS BAY, Ore.) - Gun sales in Oregon have slowed dramatically because most of the desirable firearms are sold. Prices on the AR-15 assault weapon and the AK-47 have tripled, according to Coos Bay, Oregon gun shop owner George Davis.
He says the shelves are bare at his store, George's Hole in the Wall Gunshop. He has seen a lot of his changes since he started working in the gun business 14 years ago.
Davis believes the progressive Democratic politics of Barack Obama put the rights of gun owners in jeopardy. "This stuff has failed time after time, and all the promises Obama made, it was 'yes we can', and now, for gun owners, it's 'No we can't'".
It is true that Obama has made a number of moves in his political career that would give fear to groups like the National Rifle Association. Oregon released today that there was a record number of gun sales on "Black Friday", and that the record numbers took place throughout the entire month of November.
It all comes down to a state of mind. Many Americans believe these may be the last stages for the sales of certain weapons that fall into the "assault" category.
George Davis says gun buyers are "panicking, buying anything," adding, "I'm amazed I have any rifles left at all." He says several high-powered pistols are also a hot ticket.
The craze hasn't affected some of the smaller weapons sales. Davis continued by saying, "I haven't sold out of .22's and weapons like that quite yet, but the AR's and the 308's are long gone, they're next to impossible to get."
A year ago, it took Davis two to four weeks for a firearm delivery from the major manufacturers.
"Now it is two years easy," he said.
"They aren't backordering yet, but that will probably happen eventually. I have people come in and say, 'Hey what guns have you got?' and I just smile at them and explain that what they're looking for is probably next to impossible to get. In the meanwhile, I'll buy whatever I can find," Davis said.
It's the same story when it comes to ammunition.
"They'll come in here and ask, 'What's your ammo special?'"
"I look at 'em and say, 'Well, I have some, that's the special, pick up that box right there, it's yours if you want it.'"
"I just kind of laugh," Davis said. "Seriously, that box is yours if you want it".
That, George Davis says, is the reality in the gun world today. It isn't happening just locally either; the gun buying panic is taking place nationwide.
He says a national manufacturer he often buys from, Davidson's, is normally so packed with activity that you can't even see the floor. For the first time in 20 years, the floor is showing.
Davis says he believes there are dark times for gun owners in the future.
"I pray the country comes to their senses and we get some kind of a turnaround in 2010 and in 2112, we elect a real Republican conservative, which McCain wasn't, and we'll see."
He continued, "The U.S. dollar is headed down the tubes. You can't triple the money supply and get the real value; I think we're into hard times."
For information on George's Hole in the Wall Gun Shop, visit: georgesholeinthewall.com
Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor.Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 in Afghanistan with Oregon troops. Tim recently returned from Iraq where he covered the war there while embedded with an Oregon Guard aviation unit. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website, affiliated with Google News and several other major search engines and news aggregators.You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com
Gun Sales Surge in Oregon as the Industry Takes a DiveSalem-News.com