by Robert M. Traxler

President Barack Obama is the most effective and prolific gun salesman in the entire nation. As the editor of this publication states, “yes it is true,” the number of guns sold during president Obama’s term has been nothing short of mind boggling.

Black Friday saw nearly 180,000 firearms sold in one day, approximately 2.2 million in November of this year. In 2013 10,800,000 firearms were sold in the United States. Our President has seen an increase in the sales of all classes of firearms, and also in the amount of ammunitions sold. People scared of an over-reaching government are purchasing ammunition in one thousand round cases. Indeed, nearly 11,400,000,000 rounds were purchased by civilians last year.

Our President started his presidency with “common sense gun control” as a goal; exactly what that means is anyone’s guess, and it worried those of us who are Second Amendment advocates. The number of weapons on the AR-15 and AK-47 platform produced and sold accounted for an enormous number of sales. Contrary to what is said in the left wing media, or most of the media, anyone can hunt game with a semiautomatic weapon built on a military-type design. However, hunting game is not the reason we have the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment makes no reference to hunting or target shooting, but it spells out clearly we are given a right under the Constitution to protect ourselves.

The good folks on the left side of the gun control argument will tell us no one needs a pistol with a 17-round magazine or a rifle with a 30-round magazine. It all depends on your definition of “need;” we all have things we do not need: a car that is capable of speeds greater than 70 MPH (speeding vehicles kill more Americans than guns), a smart phone, a large house, designer brand named clothing, large screen TVs, and most things we have can be eliminated or down-sized.

The test is not need, but our wishes and wants; the test is the Second Amendment to the Constitution. We don’t have the explicit right to own a 60-inch TV, or a muscle car capable of speeds in excess of 140 MPH, or a smart phone, but we do have a right under the Constitution to keep and bear arms.

The concealed carry laws in most every state have been a true success story; the anti-gun folks predicted blood running in the streets and “Wild West shootouts” on every corner, however gun crime actually went down. I have only heard one liberal with the intestinal fortitude to admit he was wrong on the concealed carry issue even as the evidence is irrefutable.

The difference between a socialist government and our constitutional democracy is the limits on governmental power. A socialist government can and will control our everyday lives; speech, gatherings, searches, taking of property, religious practices. All of the things our constitution protects will be available for the majority using the government to oppress the minority. The liberal media, the self-proclaimed champions of the minority, want to shred the constitution and adopt socialism. Once again we must caution to be aware of what you wish for, for you may get it.

President Obama tells us we must not be allowed to have firearms to protect ourselves and loved ones. President Obama travels in an armored vehicle, in an aircraft with anti-missile defenses and fighter escorts, he has hundreds of armed guards surrounding him and his family armed with fully automatic weapons, but he tells us we should not be allowed to own a .22 caliber pistol for protection. Go figure.

The folks in France have very strict gun control laws; even the police are not universally armed. We all witnessed two police officers running away from the Islamic terrorists who murdered 12 at the Charlie Hebdo offices. The French police officers were not armed and had no other course of action open to them other than dying in place so they ran away, leaving the terrorist target defenseless.

The massive volume of gun and ammunition sales in the past seven years attests to the market for firearms. The largest growing market for arms and ammunition is among women, especially young women; new social norms dictate women will not simply look to a man for protection, they are ready willing and able to protect themselves.

The constitution protects the right to possess firearms all the uber left-wing rhetoric calling for bans and limits on firearms will only fuel the already overheated market. The best way to slow gun sales is for the left to just shut the heck up. Every time our President calls for gun control, he sells more than 90,000 firearms.