Chicago Tribune: Why Assault Rifle Sales are Booming

By Robert Farago

Despite the presumption underlying chicagotribune.com‘s commentary on “assault rifles,” sales of modern sporting rifles (MSRs) aren’t really “booming.” They’re healthy enough, to be sure. But as we revealed in a previous post, the big companies who produced a plethora of ARs after the Newtown massacre are experiencing an enormous “assault rifle” hangover. The sales channels are stuffed with MSRs. Prices are dropping. Anyway, writer Robert J. Spitzer offers this analysis of the MSRs’ popularity . . .

 

First, assault weapons acquisition has become a form of political expression. Many have noted increases in firearms sales keyed both to the election cycle, notably Barack Obama’s elections in 2008 and 2012, and to mass shootings. The very purchase of guns, and especially assault weapons, is a statement that they should remain legal and unregulated, that guns themselves are not the problem. It’s also a way to express opposition to Obama. Within the gun industry, this pattern is called “political sales.”

Second, some buy these weapons because of their enticement as “forbidden fruit.” After all, they were restricted nationwide for 10 years, and even today seven states plus the District of Columbia limit access to these weapons.

Imagine if the government announced that …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns