Without trying to be political myself, this IS the political silly season, so people make all sorts of silly political claims. This can make folks get a little worried. Indeed, it is usually intended to do just that. But don't worry too much about our guns, in the short run.

As a practical matter, a new President would be able do almost nothing meaningful about gun laws without an enabling Act of Congress. So I don't think things will change suddenly after January 20th, 2009, or even very much over the long run. I'm not trying to make some partisan point, but merely a practical preparedness observation, regarding whether we need to act immediately on any plans to acquire additional firearms or ammunition in advance of some potential legal impediment.

While Democrats are likely to gain large margins in Congress, and many Democrats fail to recognize that the 2nd Amendment protects an important civil right, they are politicians, after all. They do recognize that there is little for them to gain and much for them to lose by actually trying to pass new, strongly anti-gun laws. Like other hot-button issues, its safer and better for politicians to just talk about them, without having to run the risk of actually doing something about them.

There has been little discussion of gun owner's rights in the national political debate this time around, and neither presidential candidate has shown much enthusiasm for upsetting the status quo, especially in light of the recent USSC ruling. So whatever changes may come will most likely be nibbles at the margins, rather than strikes against the heart of 2nd Amendment civil rights.

So, my advice is to watch the news, and plan accordingly, but don't panic. If you plan on buying a new firearm with supposed evil "assault rifle" features or aspects, you might want to do so fairly soon, like over the next year or two. If you have your eye on a Barrett or something else exotic and imported, or plan on making large or mail order ammunition purchases, or engage in private transactions of used firearms, you should maybe get that done, too.

But I see no need to rush out and buy that new hunting rifle or shotgun, or stock up conventional ammunition BEFORE January 20th.

Please feel free to PM me if you'd like to discuss the partisan political aspects of this, but on this forum, let's stick to the potential impact of politics on practical aspects of planning and preparedness, assuming our beloved moderators consent.

Jeff
NRA Member, multiple firearm owner, CCW permit holder, and frequent recipient of silly, alarmist political messages.