Fears that President Obama would take people’s guns away in his first term proved to be unfounded, but a lot of people appear to think he’s waiting for his second term. Gun sales are experiencing a major pre-election boom, just like they did four years ago, reportsNBC. Sales are up 50% at Smith & Wesson, and Ruger made its millionth firearm of the year by mid-August, almost as many as it made in the whole of 2011. Gun dealers say a major driver of sales is fear of a looming crackdown on guns—although Business Insider finds that the only gun laws Obama has signed as president have actually expanded gun rights.
“I should put Obama’s picture on the wall up there,” says one New Jersey gun salesman. “I’d name him salesman of the month!” But other dealers say fear of an increase in crime amid economic woes has at least as much to do with the surge in sales. “The biggest new group of buyers now are senior citizens,” the owner of a North Carolina gun shop tells CNBC’s Closing Bell. “Ten thousand baby boomers a day are turning 65. They can’t run, they can’t fight, they got to shoot.”
