They're Coming For Your Guns (Scalpers, That Is)

Went by a Cabella's recently, to pick up a couple of boxes of bullets.  An instructional visit, to say the least.

Got there about 8:50am, 10 minutes before open.  There were about 100 people lined up on the sidewalk, in freezing weather, waiting for the doors to open.  Curious, I decided to hang around and see what the hub-bub was about.  Some great sale, perhaps?

Listening to the cold suffering masses while waiting for the doors, it is apparent they are there for guns.  Not just any guns, but ARs or AKs.  Speculation is rampant - they got a big shipment last night.

Doors open, there is a mad stampede.  People are pushing past each other, quite a few in a dead run to get to the back of the store located gun counter.  Not being a gun shopper today, I find the behaviour entertaining.  Merchandise is knocked over, one guy trips over a kayak and goes face first into the floor.  Get to the gun counter line, and it looks pretty much the same as it did outside - except for the 'rabbits' who had broken out in a run to try and get there first.

They're all excited, ready to claim their prizes.  Employee at counter announces in a loud voice that they have 4 (yes, four) AR-15s.  First two guys in line buy two each (the limit, according to the sign).  Everyone else just continues to stand there, not willing to believe that they aren't going to get rewarded.  Two 'winners' are talking amoungst themselves while waiting for the five minute background check phone call to go through.  I hear them speculate on how much profit they will make when they take these to the BIG local gun show this weekend.

I look at the boxes - the guns are a cheap, off brand - ones that had been shelf warmers just a couple of months ago.  Now, they are commanding top dollar in this store, and these two scalpers figure they're going to get rich peddling them this coming weekend.

I wander by the ammo shelves, and am shocked (but not really) that there is absolutely NO mid-caliber long rifle ammo there.  No .223, 5.56, .308 to be seen.  Even the crappy, nasty-assed cheap reload stuff is long gone.

Obama is going to try and outlaw sporting rifles (what he calls assault weapons).  It will be months before any kind of effective effort can be brought to bear.  It is my opinion that he will fail.  In the meantime, the two dozen or so manufacturers of ARs in this country will be producing their weapons as fast as possible - to maximize their profits (supply and demand does work!).  Companies that produce ammunition aren't going to stop making bullets.

Just my opinion, but if you are in the market for one of these guns, just be patient.  Decide what you want, and then place an order for it - or wait a few months and then order.  You may wait a while to get it, but you will get what you really want, not some piece of overpriced junk that a scalper is shoving at you.

If you are a speculator or scalper, you are going to lose your ass after this initial run is over and done with.  You better move everything you have while people are acting stupid - if you don't, you will be stuck with a bunch of dead inventory later this year.

If you are thinking of getting one of these as an investment - don't.  They are not rare.  They will not accrue value.  They are not works of gun art.  The only way they will become very valuable is if the Government starts confiscating them - and in that case you'll have to give it up anyway for a fraction of what you paid for it.

Beanie Babies ... Nascar diecast ... Pokemon cards ... AR-15s ... don't fall for it, folks!