Another of the gun grabbers’ rotten claims falls, as a record year for gun and ammunition sales produces a lower homicide rate.

Gun Sales Up, Murder Rates Down.

If you are a regular shooter, you already know that ammunition supplies are low relative to demand, resulting in scarcity and high prices. Over at the National Association for Gun Rights Blog, M.L. McPherson has written a piece on the economics of the current situation.

Unfortunately, Mr. McPherson places the blame entirely too much on the election of Barack Obama. It is true that His Peacefulness’s elevation to the throne office of POTUS did send people scurrying to gun shops in record numbers: at the time, I worked part-time in a gun shop and witnessed the phenomenon at first hand. The coronation of Emperor Barack I actually began the third phase of our ammo woes.

Phase I was caused by increased industrialization, particularly in China and India, which increased demand for industrial commodities like lead, copper, and tin. I recommend the book Hot Commodities by Jim Rogers if you want the full picture of of the commodities shortage (BTW, food supplies also are at record lows). Ammo was still readily available, we just had to pay more for it.

Phase II began with Dubya’s Grand South Asian Conquest. Ammo disappeared from store shelves as the manufacturers switched over production to satisfy the feral federal government’s demands. Police departments were forced to cancel firearms training and qualification due to uncertain ammo supply. Prices increased sharply.

Phase III, of course, began the day after the 2008 federal elections. Prices skyrocketed, and still stores and ranges had to resort to rationing ammunition sales.

Phase IV will commence soon, as O-BOMB-A! attempts to play Alexander to Dubya’s Philip. “I am Yeswecanias, King of Kings! Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and tremble!” I’d stock up now if I were you (and I am).

Geez, this is dumb! A productive citizen is going to prison for two years, followed by two years of supervised release, for the horrendous crime of shooting himself?

This is the same New York City that granted immunity from prosecution to, and suborned perjury from, four armed robbers in order to prosecute Berhard Goetz for the horrendous crime of defending himself. That decision resulted in several more robberies of innocent New Yorkers by the “youths” (all over the age of majority) as the mainstream media insisted on characterizing them. Just five months after being released from the hospital, James Ramseur, the apparent ringleader of the “youths,” was arrested for an horrific attack on a pregnant 18-year old woman on the roof of the apartment building where they both lived. The victim was raped, sodomized, beaten, and robbed of her jewelry, right down to ripping the earrings out of her earlobes. The feminist Left expressed none of their usual outrage at this incident. Abortion, yes (makes people dependent on the State); self-defense, no (makes people independent of the State).

Of course, the totalitarians who run New York and New Jersey don’t think mere serfs should have the right to defend themselves. The lickspittles at the New York Giants fell right in line and kicked Plaxico Burress off the team.