Time To Go Shopping

Forget the happy talk about the current state of the U.S. economy from establishment spinmeisters. Many people in retailing will admit that business is anywhere from sluggish to in the toilet. Why not spread some cash around and do your part to boost the economy? Here’s how to do some consumer spending – and also help yourself – in October.

BUY AMMO!

If you’re a gun owner (as are many LewRockwell.com readers), this is the time to stock up on your favorite calibers. You say you’ve got a dozen metal military surplus ammo boxes full of .38 Special, .45 ACP, .308 and other popular rounds? A few trips to the local range will deplete those supplies. Think in terms of stocking up for the long haul.

So why spend the money on bullets instead of beans, beer or Buicks? Despite popular perception, there is a real urgency on this issue.

Both of the name-brand presidential candidates – George W. Bush (Fascist) and John Kerry (Socialist – I’m a stickler for accuracy) – support the recently expired assault weapons ban. When it comes to the Second Amendment, Kerry would be on the left side of the spectrum even in his home state of Massachusetts, which features some of the most draconian gun regulations in the nation.

What about Bush? His loyal followers would paint him as a friend of gun rights, but let’s stick with reality here.

Bush let his stooges in the House and Senate kill the AWB so he wouldn’t be forced to take a stand on a controversial issue. Name one federal gun law that W has personally eliminated. Remember that he was on the same side as Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Sarah Brady when it came to continuing the ban on certain semi-automatic weapons and large capacity magazines.

So why buy ammo now? I’ve got plenty of time, you say.

Maybe not. The election is just three weeks away, and a Kerry victory would lead to massive buying about four seconds after the results were announced. It’s kind of hard to purchase rounds that are out of stock – possibly forever. Don’t look for wholesale government gun confiscation, as there are too many weapons in circulation to take that route. Ban ammo or tax it at 1000 percent (as proposed by the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan), and those guns become all but useless.

A Bush victory would mean the same tune with a slower beat. I don’t expect W to declare executive orders banning ammo sales once the second term is in the bag, but there are other ways to achieve the same goal.

You can count on an increase in globalism and State Department intervention in the affairs of other nations under Bush or Kerry in 2005 and beyond. That means more U.S. soldiers overseas, and won’t they need lots of ammo? Call it a variation of World War II-style rationing, as civilians are forbidden to buy ammo over the counter until the alleged “emergency” ends.

Don’t say “it can’t happen here." There have been occasional shortages of ammo and primers since 1992, when gun owners stocked up in anticipation of bans and rising prices. What would prevent the feds from buying up every round made in the country, especially if they had the convenient excuse of multiple foreign wars?

More terrorist-style attacks or large-scale shootings (Insert “crazed gunman," “militia” or other network TV adjectives here) will send the gun grabbers and their bootlicks in the mainstream media shrieking for various bans and confiscations. Sadly, many gun owners will smugly say “It’ll blow over. The Republicans control the House and Senate.”

Remember this: The Republicans ALWAYS compromise and cave in when gun rights issues reach a crucial point. It’s as sure a thing as death and taxes. The midwife of the Brady Bill is none other than Bob Dole. If you ever have a chance to bet on GOP insiders shafting gun owners, take every cent you can get your hands on and run to Vegas.

If money is tight and you need to choose between another gun or ammo, the choice is obvious. Get your ammo now while prices are still low and the market is calm. Don’t expect bulk .22 LR rounds to be just 2 cents apiece forever.

October 12, 2004