“…and while we’re at it, would you like to super-size your order? We can give you a five-hundred or thousand-round case instead of just that fifty-round box…”
Yes, brothers and sisters, the Covid-19 crisis has led us to…drive-through gun sales.
And it’s driving the anti-gunners nuts.
What the prohibitionists aren’t telling folks is that it’s perfectly legal, and endorsed by the Federal agency that governs such things, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. With a hat tip to the National Shooting Sports Federation, you can read it here.
The buyers still have to fill out the mandatory paperwork, still have to wait to pass a NICS check, and in some jurisdictions have to go through a three- to ten-day waiting period before they “drive through” and take possession of their firearm.
In some jurisdictions, anti-gun politicians are ignoring the Federal mandate (thank President Trump, like him or not) that says gun shops may stay open because they are Essential under the umbrella of Safety and Security. The Second Amendment Foundation is going after those particular tyrants with lawsuits. I’ve never been more proud to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Second Amendment Foundation.
The rage among the prohibitionists is simply more proof that they don’t know how what they want to legislate actually works…
…More proof that they literally don’t know what they’re talking about.
Oh, and by the way, that “super-size” thing was tongue in cheek. Most retailers’ ammo shelves are all but bare at the moment.
However, Super Vel and Atlanta Arms and Ammo say they’re still shipping. In most jurisdictions (sorry, Californians, but they were your states elected officials when they passed that stupid law) they can ship direct to you, the consumer.
Glad to see it but… I hope they are getting adequate training to go with it. lots of newbies isolated and learning how to use a firearm from YouTube is dangerous!
Im not concerned about that detail. These days there is SO MUCH in the press about how “daynjrus” guns are, and the politicking to restrict, control demand this and that, folks have a pretty good sense of the inherent dangers of guns. Now theyve taken the step to GET one, I’m quite certain the vast majority of new owners will figure it out. I know I bought and read quite a few great books (some by Mas….) as I was exploring the world of handguns.
Also notice the press ignores or deeply obfuscates any evidence contrary to their own preconceived perceptions of what gun control really does and does not do. Truth has nothing to do with it.
Correct… and I’ve howled witih laughter when I’ve read about the erstwhile comatose who are now out to finally buy their own “Personal Protection Device” thinking they’ll ‘just get one online”, then devlove to their local gun shop.. then the fit of apoplexy when thjey learn they have to get the BACKGROUND CHECK, often a LICENSE, or REGISTRTION, and then the real Hiroshima event.. they learn they CAN’T TAKE IT HOME WITH THEM!!! I read of one gun shop owner who politely informed the woman buying it, and now in shock at the complicated and burdensome process, AND THEN to learn it’s not “takeaway” time yet….. calmly asked her if she had voted for gun control last election.. she said she had… he then informed her “THIS IS GUN CONTROL. OOOooooppppppssssssssss…….
I wonder how deep and wide this awakening will be?
For decades, gullible liberals have been brainwashed into believing that children can simply order assault weapons online from the NRA and those fully automatic firearms will be delivered to their homes with high capacity magazines, ready to wreak havoc at their schools and on the streets. The wool has now been lifted from their eyes, but memories are short and soon, many will be back to their old evil ways.
I’m not actually a “Prepper” but do intend to survive most situations, so have stocked up on necessary supplies during the good times and now have enough of most things to last me for awhile. I usually have a several month supply of canned food bought on sale at the grocery store which I keep rotated for freshness. There’s a good amount of factory ammunition and reloading components at my place and I can still go shooting even now, while many at my gun club are staying home to conserve ammo. I’ve also been taking this opportunity to sell off some unneeded pistols and rifles on consignment at my local gun shop which is in dire need of 9mm pistols, and AR-15 and AK-47 type rifles. I still follow my old motto which is, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best”.
American adaptability and creativity on display. Try this stuff in a communist country and see how long you survive (and I mean that literally).
Mas:
Great column! Reminds me how everything they do has unintended consequences.
For example, banning import of certain semi-auto rifles awakened a sleepy part of the gun industry. Everyone started buying more than they needed, and the American spirit resulted in those supposedly evil guns being made here. I remember when Ashland Shooting Supplies couldn’t hardly give away real FN FAL rifles.
Remember when Uncle Jeff told us you should have three magazines for your 1911 – one in, one on the belt, and one at rest? Now, six mags per pistol is considered a bare minimum.
And ammo. Don’t you find the old ads run by Gen. George Van Orden to be almost quaint? His company, Evaluators, Ltd. near Quantico in Triangle, Virginia, used to have a program where you could buy an entire box of 50 rounds of ammo in a caliber of your choice, and it would be held for you until called for – presumably in a time of emergency, at which time it would be shipped to the customer. Sort of like a bank deposit, except for ammo. Now, we shoot 1,000 rounds in a weekend and some competition shooters think nothing of keeping warehouses full for that million rounds a year practice regimen.
We are somewhat fortunate to have morons in the government. Knowledgeable experts could do more damage. Let us keep up the good fight!
Best,
Shawn McCarver
Massachusetts residents also cannot receive ammo via mail — without a law restricting it, but on penalty of the AG suing you if you do.
2nd Amendment Foundation Board of Trustees: hooyah, hooyah, hootah! Thanks for the good news, and “sic ’em, tiger.” Down with anti-constitutional politicians!
Interesting, my brother is a policeman, and he gets all the once fired 308 win match brass from SWAT. He states everyone wants the 223 Rem and the leave the 308 win. So I am reloading a ton of ammunition: 147 FMJ, 150 SST, and (of course) 175 SMK (for my M1A National). It is good to have a brother who loves you. So I am blessed and the Tyrants can go pound sand! I just pray to the LORD God, when COVID 19 goes away, this pseudo Marshall Law will fade with it.
I’m not actually a “Prepper” but…
Our local prepper group isn’t preparing for zombie hoards and TEOTWAWKI. They’re simply the folks who are ready to face losing their job, a medical emergency, or an ice storm. Right now the definition is “folks who aren’t sweating over toilet paper.” They reflect what we hear from most other preppers, nationwide.
The media portrayal of “Preppers! O!M!G!” is just as realistic as the way they portray gun owners.
It is interesting that the Media and Big Government tends to “Cherry-Pick” the U.S. Constitution. Parts of the Constitution that they like, parts that give them POLITICAL POWER, such as Freedom of the Press (for their media operatives) or the ability to Tax and Spend, are rigorously upheld. They will fight, tooth and claw, to see that ever “Jot and Tittle” of constitutional authority is enforced. They may even read things into the Constitution, such as a Right to Privacy which then gives birth (no pun intended 🙂 ) to a Right to Abortion and then fight, tooth and claw, for this “distilled” Abortion Right. Never-mind that the word “Abortion” is not written anywhere in the document itself.
However, if it is a part of the Constitution that works against their governmental power, such as Freedom of Religion or the 2nd Amendment, then they will ridicule, minimize and generally “spit” upon that part until their mouth goes dry.
The double-standards of the Left truly have to be seen to be believed.
Let me give you a personal example. I have both a Driver’s License and a Concealed Carry Permit issued by my State of Residence. In my State, both the license and the permit are issued by the same State agency. So, very often, they are configured to expire at the same time.
Both my license and my permit were set to expire in May 2020. Therefore, I decided to go ahead and submit the forms and fees to renew both of them early. Since the same State agency issues them, I was able to make a single trip to a local agency office and submit both renewals at the same time.
I submitted the fees and paperwork to renew both on March 9th of 2020.
I don’t know the amount of work for renewal for each one but it should be similar in terms of agency effort. I wanted a RealID driver’s license so I had to submit four (4) forms of ID for this renewal. The Concealed Carry Permit was simpler. My understanding is that they just re-run a quick background check and then renew it.
Since the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a Constitutional Right (under both the US and my State constitutions) while the license to drive a vehicle is a mere privilege, one might expect (from a Right’s perspective) that the Concealed Carry Permit renewal was the highest priority.
Not in the eyes of Big Government! From their perspective, the ability to drive a vehicle is IMPORTANT while the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS is of low priority at best and may be actually undesirable to the Leftists that set so much of Big Government policy.
So, what was the result? I had my new RealID Driver’s License in my hands by March 21st. In other words, in less then two (2) weeks. I am still waiting for the new Concealed Carry Permit after five (5) weeks. My guess is that the State agency will “drag their feet” and not issue the new permit until sometime in May. If I am LUCKY, the new permit will show up before my old one actually expires at the end of May.
Which illustrates my point. In this case, Big Government is not even choosing one Right over another. Rather, they have prioritized a Privilege over a Constitution Right.
I can’t say that I am surprised. The 2nd Amendment has always been treated as the “Red-Headed Stepchild” of the Constitution. I am not the first person to comment upon it. For example, see this link:
https://www.constitution.org/mil/embar2nd.htm
Well, it looks like I was a bit pessimistic, about my handgun carry permit (HCP) renewal, because the new permit arrived today in the mail. Since both the driver’s license and HCP renewals were submitted the same day (and even within the same hour), this gives me a quick check of renewal time intervals for my State.
The driver’s license was renewed and the new one was in my hands within 12 calendar days. It took 38 calendar days for the same State agency to get the new HCP into my hands. A time interval that was more than 3 times greater than that for the driver’s license. Why the delay for the HCP?
Was it because of the administrative effort involved? This seems unlikely since the new driver’s license meets the RealID requirements. The agency needed to check all four (4) forms of ID that I submitted and confirm both my U.S. Citizenship and Address of Residence. My understanding is that renewal of a HCP only requires an updated background check. Something that most FFL dealers can do in under 10 minutes.
Was it caused by differences in producing the physical documents? No. Both the license and HCP are little plastic cards (3.25 inches by 2 inches in size) containing my photo and the necessary printed information. They are clearly produced with identical card stock and printing equipment.
Was it because of agency work-load demand? No. Because more people drive a vehicle then engage in concealed carry, the number of driver licenses issued greatly exceeds the number of HCP’s issued. The ratio is greater than 8 to 1 in my State. Therefore, if a “backlog” exists, one would expect it to be in the area of the greater-demand driver’s licenses.
What was the difference? I believe it to be in “mindset”. Although driving a vehicle is a mere privilege, I believe that it is viewed as an “important privilege” by the State. It affects the ability of people to be mobile.
While many readers of this blog would argue that the “Right to Bear Arms” is even more important, in that it involves a Constitutional Right and (in a self-defense situation), one’s very life may depend upon it; I believe that State views it with “Leftist Eyes” and holds it of little account. Certainly, they do not believe in prioritizing State resources so as to regard it to be a higher function then driving a car.
Therefore, I am still confirmed in my original post. Second Amendment Rights are generally held to be of little account by Big Government. This is true even in a State, like mine, that is viewed as being “Red” and favorable to Gun Rights.
God help the folks living in “Deep Blue” States. From what I have read, so many roadblocks are imposed, by their State Governments, that getting a HCP permit (at all) is difficult or impossible for anyone who is not rich and politically well-connected.
TN_MAN: According to our benevolent former Dear Leader, there’s not a “SMIDGEN” of truth to accusations that various government agencies, like the IRS or DMV, target certain groups of freedom loving citizens they don’t like. The ugly head of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy raises up again. Shame on you! 🙂
@ Tom606 – Just reporting the facts here. It is a FACT that it took me three (3) times as long to obtain a renewed HCP then it did to obtain a renewed Driver’s License in my State. Furthermore, that even included a change in status for the Driver’s License in that I went from an ordinary license to a Real ID type of license.
Believe me, I know the “mindset” of my State Government. I worked for it for thirty (30) years before I retired. The State Legislature may lean toward being “Pro-Gun” but the bureaucrats that actually control State policy lean “Anti-Gun”. Their policies with State employees are all “Anti-Gun” with no employee (other than law enforcement) ever being allowed to carry on the job.
So, as usual, the Leftists are “projecting” their own crimes upon their political opponents. In truth, when it comes to Big Government and the Media, it is a “Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy” out there! 🙂
TN_MAN,
This is in response to your last paragraph, about the difficulty of getting a concealed carry permit in “may issue” states.
(I don’t know how to copy & paste with this tablet, so I’ll type the address that appeared in my browser)
According to http://www.ammoland.com, there are 8.983 million residents in NJ.
According to http://www.gunstocarry.com, as of the years 2012–2013 there were 1,212 concealed carry permit holders in NJ.
The only way to make NJ look like a pro-gun state is to compare it with the UK.
You preach it Shawn!
Thank you for your article. Most of us in CA are fed up with the ammo purchase regulations. CRPA and NRA are trying to help us but long waits and shortages of common ammo is routine.
I’ve been reading a few articles that could be under the heading of “karma” – evidently some of the new people purchasing guns are of the liberal persuasion, which is fine with me – welcome to the party! However, the karma part is that they are perturbed to find out it isn’t as easy to buy a gun as they thought. They really thought what Nannies Demand Action and others of that ilk have told them, that it is easy to buy a gun and just walk right out with it immediately. They are shocked to find that the liberal/leftist politicians they voted for have made them go through a background check, fill out forms, perhaps get a permission slip from the local sheriff, maybe even wait five or ten days to take possession of the property they have already paid for! Shocking! Outrageous!! But I need to gun right now for my protection!
Like you, Mas, I am proud of the SAF, GOA and local pro-RKBA groups like Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC) who have stood up and said, “Not on our watch!” In NC, the law requires anyone buying a handgun to have a pistol purchase permit issued by the Sheriff in your county of residence within 14 days of application (or a CCH permit). Our local Sheriff here in Wake County decided that his group that processes those permits got too many of them to handle, so he stopped accepting new applications for those permits (and for CCH licenses). And he then had the gall to say that his actions had no effect on the citizens’ Second amendment rights!! Yeah, he’s a tool!
When confronted by a customer irate about the hoops he must jump through to buy a firearm, the store should use it as a teaching opportunity. Tell that customer that the store wishes it could sell him the gun because it’s his right and it’s good business for the store. But not complying with government requirement will cost the owner his business and probably send everyone involved to prison. The best way to change this is for the customer to contact his state or federal representatives and say to them everything he just said to the store staff.
I live in Michigan, and used to be able to use my CCW as a substitute for a background check, due to the fact that I had to go through a federal background check to get that CCW, and so doing it again was redundant.
But Michigan, in 2018, passed the recreational marijuana law, and just recently the BATFE’s came out with a new ruling that now requires us to have a background check run for every purchase from an FFL. It is for no reason other than punishment for the people of this state daring to make a law that reflects the actual behavior of it’s people. And then they wonder just why the backlog is ever increasing.
That old law of unintended consequences.
pigpen51,
That hassle and aggravation Michigan is putting gun owners through reminds me of a famous phrase, “….a long train of abuses,…”
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