I figure turnabout is fair play.
And a headline in the Wall Street Journal like "Fear and Greed Have Sales of Guns and Ammo Shooting Up" is like waving a red flag in front of me. It demands a response.
Here's their major premise:
No one knows exactly what is behind the gun-buying craze. Some buyers say they are stocking up for themselves in anticipation of new gun-control laws, while others say they're worried about deteriorating public safety as the economy worsens.
But it's also clear that part of the gun-buying rally is driven by people like Mr. Chambers who are buying weapons the way others invest in a hot stock.
Excuse me? This is the WSJ talking? What exactly is the whole reason behind their paper if not to encourage investments? Are they calling every one of their readers greedy? Are reporters Alex Roth and Betsy McKay greedy, since I'm assuming they got paid for this hit piece? How about everyone else in the production and distribution chain?
Why did News Corp. acquire them? Why did a supermajority of Dow Jones shareholders approve the deal? Is there more than a little Gordon Gekko projection going on here?
And thanks for using the term "craze." As in everybody knows it's crazy to buy commodities at a time when their supply may become restricted and prices may rise. What kind of delusional lunatic would do that?
Nothing like objectivity from you "Authorized Journalists"...
Now let's take a look at that "fear" aspect:
Many gun dealers are fanning the fear on the Internet and in other advertising that President Obama will try to restrict the Second Amendment right to bear arms -- despite signs that major changes in federal weapons regulations are unlikely. The White House says there are no imminent plans to reinstate the federal assault-weapons ban. "The president supports the Second Amendment and respects the tradition of gun ownership in this country," a White House spokesman said.
Notice they said "imminent." And doesn't that qualifier leave all kinds of latitude? Oh, well, to paraphrase the Christian bumper sticker, since we're apparently talking about a matter of faith here, a White House spokesman said it, I believe it, that settles it. Right?
Never mind that the official White House website lists a ban as a goal--albeit they felt it necessary to modify their statement to make it less threatening than the one they'd posted on their campaign website.
Never mind that AG Eric Holder called for a ban as part of his strategy for reducing Mexican drug crime. And never mind that the Mexican canard is still being exploited for all its worth.
Never mind that we are barraged daily with demands to enact a new ban from the media, from politicians, from anti-defense lobbyists, that Senator Dianne Feinstein just pledged "I wouldn’t bring it up now…I’ll pick the time and the place, no question about that," or that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell deemed the issue...uh...imminent enough to hold a press conference about yesterday.
Apparently, at least according to the way the gungrabbers are heaping ridicule on the concept, the gravest act of unfounded paranoia a gun rights advocate can commit is to believe them. And I note none of them are coming forward to define "imminent."
It's true Americans are buying guns and ammunition in record numbers. We've covered the phenomenon here on Gun Rights Examiner and been encouraged by it. But say life goes on. Say no new semiauto ban passes. Say, rather than the disastrous scenario that some are anticipating, the future is more mundane. While no one can predict it, we can take clues from the past.
From a source in the industry:
If this follows the same path as 1994, our industry's consumers will max out their credit cards and stop buying in about a year and the industry will go into an overall depression. There will be a wide vast group of guys sitting on high stacks of ammo, primers and powder.
Or, it could go the other way, and a round of ammunition could become increasingly valuable barter currency. What the WSJ refers to as "a hot stock"...
You didn't think I'd forgotten them did you, these sophisticated and urbane creatures who point and shriek about fear and greed in flyover knuckledragger country?
Meet editor Robert Thomson, who is evidently feasting during a time of industry famine:
Thomson...sees the demise of others as an opportunity for The Wall Street Journal. "I think we are benefiting from that.
How?
Thomson recently declared journalists at The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires must file scoops and breaking news to the websites. "It's clear people at the Journal recognise the importance of leveraging every piece of content that's created...
Filing scoops. Leveraging content. You know, the sacred Canons of Journalism.
And the reason for this strategy?
"There's one cost in creating that content but many permutations for leveraging that across platforms to generate revenue. That's one of the things (News Corp chairman) Rupert (Murdoch) instinctively saw and why he wanted (to buy) Dow Jones," he says. "His instinct always was if there was revenue growth at the Journal -- which has growing influence -- then the revenue potential for both the Journal's content and that of other businesses within Dow Jones has been utterly under-exploited."
Just so we're clear. They don't want to suffer a negative fate and they want to make money.
And there's nothing wrong with that. Surviving and thriving are what motivate us all, from one-celled organism right on up the chain. So why would they characterize others making prudent decisions and hoping to improve their lots as fearful and greedy?
And not expect to be exposed as utter and shameless mercenary hypocrites...?
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: Mainstream media misleads on the gun permit issue
- Austin: Gun control and saving Captain Phillips (Part 2)
- Boston: The Educated Patriot: Boston TEA Party 2009 a gathering of patriots
- Charlotte: Armed self-defense & ‘The Stopwatch of Death’
- Cleveland: Pennsylvania governor sounds alarm, urges renewal of assault weapon ban
- DC: Breaking News: Federal civil rights lawsuit filed against West Milwaukee
- Denver: A peek into a liberal's mind
- Los Angeles: The anti-gun, anti-liberty personality: Patriotism is Terrorism?
- Milwaukee: Vote today for Constitutional justice- Vote Koschnick
- Minneapolis: A Cowboy's Easter
- National: Why does Homeland Security's gun smuggling report mislead law enforcement?
- Seattle: Homeland Security’s outrageous insult to veterans, conservatives and firearms owners
- St. Louis: The Iron Trickle: changing U.S. gun laws won't disarm Mexican drug cartels
- Wisconsin: New judge in town
Comments
The Wall Street Journal news section and Opinion section are like two different newspapers packaged together. The news editors and staff are your typical Colombia j school group thinkers, if slightly less blatant about it. The Opinion section at least tries to be even handed, though imperfectly of course. Not to say 'go easy on the WSJ', quite the contrary. We need to keep everyone honest whether neutrals like the Opinion section or enemies like the news section.
Greed??? They are accusing people of wanting guns out of greed? I guess they can't spear the ones advertising in their paper---you know, the greedy ones who got this whole mess going in the first place...
I dropped wall street journal when THEIR greed made them stop printing the full info columns in the markets section. Then some sleazy anti-Americans snuck in there,and they kept running anti-gun letters and articles, and I was gone...that is liek 4 years ago... Greed also see- because we want to protect what we own and paid for- because see- there are folks who WANT what we have..not want LIKE what we have- WHAT we have. Well- bring it on invaders and traitors. We are waiting. I love how the extremist evil vermin who stole elections, who have been trying to destroy freedom, claimed yesterday that the danger is the Americans.... Self defense madam. Or should I say FRUMP.
I'm sure people are buying guns because they're fun. They probably hunt, target shoot, etc. Something that people on wall street do in their privacy. They just keep it secret since they are so intertwined with DC and the bailout dollars. There kissing a little butt right now. What should be of major concern is the fact that the head of the labor unions has negotiated a deal with the DC administration to bring illegal aliens into the country all 30 million of them. they will take your jobs and cause the price of producing goods to drop. wall street loves this idea because gross margin will increase and so will their stock values. also the union members have been led by their leadership to forget about the second amendment and vote for barac. facts are that the union workers are going to lose big time as a result of the barac administration. he already is bragging secretly that he doesn't need your union votes anymore since he will soon have the vote of 30 million illegal aliens made citizens without even having to walk through ellis island. union members why don't you understand this?
Where can I find 500 rounds of 9mm or .380 that may be in stock ready to ship? Since I have already been profiled by this administration as an "extremist" I want to live up to the moniker and stock up and hoard. I also dug up my Chuck Baldwin bumper sticker for my car.
"But it's also clear that part of the gun-buying rally is driven by people like Mr. Chambers"
NO it is driven by this fascist administration.
The only ban that's being talked about, but not imminent, is a ban on weapons that are made to kill masses of people at a single time. There is no other use for them. If it were just good ol boy law abiding types that had these, I wouldn't care. Unfortunately though it's organized criminals who end up with them. 90% of the machine guns taken from drug gangs were made and bought in the US. We're next people! Legalize marajuana too and these cartels have no money and less motives for these guns. Please you all focus on more than one or two issues when you choose our leaders. Bush was pro-gun, "pro-life" and nearly ruined this country. Look at the numbers and tell me I'm wrong.
The anti's have you quoting false statistics. The ATF reports that of 30,000 guns used in Mexico crimes only 6000 were sent back to be traced to the US and 5300 were from the USA. That’s 90% of 6000 guns. And only 17% of the total guns used in Mexico’s crimes. Anti's are always inflating the stats to create fear to support their gun ban agendas.
James...Yor poor ignorant poltroon. I'd call you an a**hole but even an a**hole has a use.
James wrote:
"Look at the numbers and tell me I'm wrong."
I look @ the #'s everyday James and you are WAY wrong in your ignorant assessment of guns. Do your own research, I don't have time right now to bury your un-informed beliefs in stats.
Your ignorance towards Americans choice of firearms and where Mexico really gets their guns is shocking to me. Get your head out of the left wing kool-aid tub!
Funny James should mention "organized criminals" because they LOVE gun-grabbers like you.
Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, the Mafia turncoat, was asked about gun control in an interview in Vanity Fair.
"Gun control? It's the best thing you can do for crooks and gangsters," Gravano said. "I want you to have nothing. If I'm a bad guy, I'm always gonna have a gun. Safety locks? You will pull the trigger with a lock on, and I'll pull the trigger. We'll see who wins.
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