Gun policy sparks increase in demand

The article tells of how gun sales have gone us significantly since Obama has been president. It attributes this increased demand to new possible regulation, which would make background checks mandatory on all gun sales, instead of just on ones that are sold from licensed dealers. This article is a clear example of how some regulations work, and interestingly, what effect possible regulation can have.

By making gun permits mandatory to all gun sales, the regulation seeks to essentially screen everyone who gets guns, and make sure guns aren't sold to people who shouldn't have guns. This seems to me to be a logical policy; i know i don't want criminals, for instance, being able to buy guns, as that would only end in some very negative outcomes most likely. However, this proposed policy has had an immediate impact on gun sales. This jump in sales is directly due to the possible future higher cost of owning a gun. This higher price isn't monetary, but in time spent having a valid background check done, and the effort needed to get it done. People will buy them now rather then later to save money, which makes sense in terms of optimizing cost. More importantly, i believe this possible policy has most likely caused the people who don't have good backgrounds to purchase their guns now, as they wouldn't be able to if the new regulation passed. These people includes the criminals i mentioned earlier, as well as the other people who may not be criminals but due to their history probably shouldn't own guns. This proposed regulation has scared them into buying the guns now, so they have it while they can still get it. This, to me, seems like a bad aftereffect of a good policy.

In spite of this however, i think this regualtion still needs to go through. While it is our right to "bear arms" as the constitution states, i believe it is our responsibility to make sure people who get them are using them for correct purposes, and that we prevent sales to those who use them to hurt society. This policy would alleviate this problem. It is just very intersting to see how good regulations can produce bad immediate outcomes. It seems counterintuitive to the logical mind, but with some economical analysis, we can see how this can be.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105713194

Tim Booth