Gun Sales Rise – as Does Fear. Where Will It All End?

MichaelW

8 years ago

In 1965, folksinger Tom Paxton wrote a song “Buy a Gun for Your Son” (see the above video) in which he sang the chorus,
“Buy a gun for your son right away, Sir
Shake his hand like a man and let him play, Sir.
Let his little mind expand, Place a weapon in his hand,
For the skills he learns today will someday pay, Sir.”

It looks like more guns are being bought for more sons, as gunmaker Smith & Wesson announced a tripling of profits in the three months that ended on Oct. 31.

And the reason for the increase of sales: “The number one driver of firearms sales is fear,” Brian Ruttenbur, an analyst at BB&T Capital Markets, said.

And Walmart – the world’s largest retailer – is also the biggest seller of guns in the U.S.

So will you buy a gun for your son and daughter, and wife and husband and niece and nephew and grandkids and all your friends around the world?

How about instead of buying guns, we think about our fears and recall FDR’s famous words that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

More guns are not the answer, instead the answer is stopping rhetoric and actions that drive people to want to harm one another, and start looking for ways that we can come together as a people, no matter our differences.

Here is the article that tells you about Smith & Wesson’s sales being up: http:www.bbc.com/news/business-35047899