What was the turning point for firearm sales and ownership?

[flatwins]

The "Where did you buy your first gun?" thread prompted this one.

Many of us grew up in a time when firearms were available for purchase at Sears, Otasco, Montgomery Ward, TG&Y, and I learned today that even grocery stores sold them. Guns used to be no big deal. My ex father-in-law was on the rifle team at Tulsa Central HS and there was a range in the basement. Can you imagine that today?

I have a libtard buddy who grew up in Oklahoma but now lives in Seattle. He says out there, guns and ammo are available but no one dare mention that they own or enjoy guns.

When did it all turn to the point where we are perceived as guilty of some crime just for owning guns?

If I had to pinpoint a period of time, I'd say it was when those two idiots shot up the high school in Columbine.

Thoughts?

 

[ronny]

No, it was long before that. Right here in Oklahoma, you could walk around with a gun in the open up to about 1971.

I lived in New York in the early 70's and flirted with big time legal problems just by owning a pistol.

They've been after our guns for a very long time.

 

[indi]

It started way before Columbine. Or atleast it did in Chicago. I grew up thinking only Cops and Robbers had guns. Heck just last year they legalized handgun registration in Chicago. Before that it was a felony to have an unregistered handgun in Chicago, and you couldnt register them till last year.

 

[dennishoddy]

I think there are times in history when the popularity of gun ownership has waxed, and waned. It seems to me that most of the time we get a backlash from mass shootings. It lasts for a few years, and then something happens, and it starts all over again.
I remember watching the Austin Tx tower shooter shooting live on TV. The police were almost defensless shooting back with revolvers, while he picked folks off with centerfire rifles. Eventually sportsmen came forward with their deer rifles that were loaned to the officers on the scene, as well as returning fire themselves in support of the police!
Not too long afterward, you had to show ID, had age limits, etc to buy ammunition. TG&Y etc had spiral notebooks that they kept the info in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman


Then came the Kent State Massacre. It was a tough time to be in the military, and/or be a gun owner during that era. Like the OP's buddy, you had them, but didn't talk about them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

 

[Honeybee]

68 right before the amnisty for class 4 weapons.
and right after it was over and everyone knew it would never happen again.

 

[cichlid-dave]

Bought a lot before "preban". Most were bought before that time but a few were purchases do to the ban.

 

[Seadog]

As long as we have had democrat nannys and Lawyers. That about sums it up

 

[flatwins]

I agree that periods of history have created ebbs and flows in the firearm world. But as far as department stores getting out of the firearm business, do you feel it is a political or financial decision? Obviously for most it was financial; store folded up so no more gun sales or any sales for that matter.

But Sears is still around. When did they quit carrying firearms? I honestly don't remember. Walmart has discovered that firearm\ammo sales is a lucrative business or otherwise they wouldn't be expanding gun sales into stores that previously just sold ammo. Would Sears sell firearms today? Would it be good for their business or are they taking the safe route of less liability?

These days it's mostly an us v. them mentality with guns. Millions have been sold in the last four years and firearms owners know they are in good, safe company around other firearm owners (for the most part) but it seems the line is drawn right along the political lines. Not always but generally so.

Many of the non-firearm owners view us owners as twisted souls just itching to do harm to others. That part of it seems, to me at least, as a fairly new phenomenon that occurred with all the crazed shootings in the last few years. Just the other day I ran into our company attorney at lunch and talked about our weekend plans. I told him I was most likely go out to the range. He immediately followed up with some comment\question about my mental stability. Seriously.

 

[Johnny]

I don't know exactly when it happened but it has something to do with the downfall of rear window gun racks. Its like what came first the chicken or the egg. I don't know what became taboo first. Owning a gun or displaying said gun in the rear window of your truck.

Sorry couldn't resist. I don't know when it happened but I am pretty sure it was before I was born. I am hopeful that gun ownership at least finds itself on the same level as "xxxxxxxxxxx" as far as acceptance goes in the future. Anything I could think of to put there would not be considered politically correct and would take away from the thread.

 

[elwoodtrix]

I grew up in Cali during the 80s and remember buying ammo at the liquor store