The NRA may not be complaining, but this week’s election has once again thrown the fate of the Second Amendment into question. At least gun owners feel it, and that’s why they’ve been lining up and leaving the shelves empty at gun stores across the country.

Local gun dealers quickly are running out of stock of magazines for Colt AR-15s and AK models and many have seen a sharp increase in the sales of those guns.
“Pretty much anything with more than 10 rounds is in high demand right now,” said Michael Martin, a sales representative at Impact Guns in Salt Lake City. “We had one supplier go from 92 assault rifles to 12 in one day. Our suppliers are just frantically scrambling.”
Customers at Fuzzy Bunny Movie Guns have expressed their worries about a renewed gun ban on the store’s online message boards, and the past 10 days have brought major jumps in sales.
“For customers out there thinking about getting one of these guns, don’t think,” said James Bunten, president of FBMG, who has had to order stock much further in advance to guarantee his store’s stock. “At least put money down on it now to get a place in very long line.”

Not only has the election of Obama ignited old fears that Democrats will push anti-firearm laws until only the government has guns, but the appointment of Democrat Rep. Rahm Emanuel as President-elect Obama’s new chief of staff has made those fears more urgent. Every bio of Emanuel notes his aggressive push for the assault weapons ban passed during the Clinton Administration. The law, which banned a series semi-automatic rifles, pistols and shotguns defined as “assault weapons” in the legislation, was allowed to sunset during the Bush Administration — one of the rare accomplishments for which conservatives can give Bush and the the GOP in congress credit — but may be headed for a revival under a new Democratic Washington.

Obama has said he supports reinstating the assault weapons ban, but in the thick of the election, refused to get on the bandwagon trying to overturn the repeal of the DC handgun law. The Second Amendment blogosphere is already hunkering down for a fight, and can prove as formidable an opponent as the kossacks on the left when threatened — though it remains to be seen whether the resurrection of a Million Moms is in the offing. Best to keep your powder dry.