#1 told me that he saw no more than 1,500 rounds total of 7.62x39 ammunition, as used in AKs and SKSes, at the show. #2 said that he saw exactly three AKs there (all Yugos, two underfolders and one fixed stock).
From the 80s up until a couple of years ago 7.62x39 was as common as dirt and not much more expensive that it. Supplies have fluctuated as people become concerned that it may not be easily available. This was especially true in the run-up to the 2006 election when gun owners were worried that the Dems would gain control of Congress.
However, AKs have been plentiful for most of the past 10 years, even during the Assault Weapons Ban. Since the AWB sunset in 2004, the number and variety of available AKs has increased. If there were only three at a large gun show it means that people are snapping them up in record number. I suspect that many folks are buying more than one. There are two main reasons why this is so:
- Folks are worried about a Dem president in January 2009 followed by another AWB and are counting on a grandfather clause to allow them to continue possession after a ban is enacted.
- With the economy in poor shape and apparently getting worse, people are worried about unrest. An AK -- even the neutered, semiauto-only AKs we can buy in the US -- is a perfect gun for defending the homestead if the SHTF.
Either way, it's an interesting peek into how people are viewing the near future.
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If the imaginable comes to pass, a Federally mandated gun grab specifically tailored to disarm the population, will you be a good citizen and turn in your hardware?
I ask this in raising a greater issue... At what point does the Second Amendment Citizen draw the line?
The problem in recent history has been continual erosion of gun rights with grudging acceptance. Within the tendrils of reasonableness, we accept the rules and conditions placed upon us as we find ourselves within the limits in steadily decreasing numbers, soon to be as rare as free range buffalo.
With the collapse of society there will be no rules but saving that, in a nation of free men where else might we find our guarantees?
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