Cleaning the shelves dry of guns and ammunition is something that apparently brings red states and blue states together at the moment. My mother was checking up on the gun situation in her new home state, and she read me the report that Tennessee has likely set gun sales records – at least they did set a record for the number of gun sales background checks.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Kristin Helm said in an email that the agency performed 9,772 background checks over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That’s 500 more than the second biggest weekend on record — Black Friday and the two days that followed in November. …
At the Goodlettsville Gun Shop, outside of Nashville, sales continued to be brisk on Wednesday.
Owner Phillip Arrington said in a phone interview that the store was packed and he had five check-out lines going.
He then cut the reporter short saying that he was too busy to talk. Ha!
There is not a 10+ round magazine for sale available anywhere in the country right now. Same goes for parts kits, AR/AK fire control parts, uppers, lowers, ammo, etc. I have never seen anything like this. To actually watch magazines go out of stock while clicking “Add to Cart” is pretty impressive.
I remember the frenzy after the 2008 election and seeing folks descend on the gun show like hyenas on a carcass and ammo pallets laid bare within hours. That is tame by comparison.
And I freely admit to participation. Projects I’ve had laying dormant for years I’ve decided to complete “just in case”. Not practical but perhaps necessary.
Same thing in Cali, but more so, especially since regardless of Federal action or inaction we have a very real threat in Leland Yee’s effort to ban all semiautos, period.
No ARs to be had? Frustrated AR-seekers are buying whatever else is on the rack. The fever is easy to catch; was in picking up a bolt gun and grabbed a SXS and lever carbine just because I could.
In addition, I saw a used AR come in on consignment at my local out-of-ARs store this afternoon and the seller wanted $3200. Outrageous, but it sounded like he might get that price before the day’s out.
Its amazing that even stripped lowers are gone! Can’t find one anywhere.
Was in 3 TN gun shops today doing some last minute Christmas shopping. They had people standing three to five deep waiting for background checks. Was taking 15-20 minutes per check–sometimes longer due to volume. Clerks would call, leave the phone on speaker, and then do the check when we all finally heard the TBI agent yelling “Hello!” As soon as it was done, they’d hang up, hit redial, speaker, and toss it on the counter to help a new customer while they waited through the music and announcements.
Almost all AR’s and AK variants were gone. Only “Assault weapons” left were butt ugly AK’s, expensive Vz. 52 carbines, a few Mini-14’s, expensive 5.56 rifles like the Sig, and the most expensive, custom AR’s in the shops (which were beginning to go in spite of high price tags).
7.62×39 was gone, 5.56×45 was either gone, or being rationed, sometimes limited to 40 rounds per customer. A few mags left at raised prices, but gouging was not that bad considering the shops had no idea when they’d be able to re-stock.
By new years, I don’t think there will be an “assault weapon” left in a store’s rack, at least in this corner of the state.
The TBI won’t batch calls? Here in Missouri I think we go straight to the NICS; when my father and I visited Joplin’s biggest gun store, in part to just see the action there, the owner was working with customers to batch the calls (take care of several checks in one phone call).
Same here in South Dakota. I waited 2 hrs for background check. Had a Bushmaster on lay-away, it was the last one in the store. A few boxes of .223 amd 5.56 left. The cupboard was almost bare.
I was lucky this morning, got BG check done within 10 minutes and walked out with two plus plenty of shells and bullets.