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Higgins is talking about Shiloh Sharps...

As of today the used and collectible firearms market is strong. It may not be pushing new levels but is holding firm at more or less the old level.

In the past 3 or 4 years I have seen nearly a feeding frenzy to buy collectible arms. As with everything certain genres such as Luger's or Colt SA's having leveled or gone a bit soft only to be succeeded by Winchester Model 12's etc.. This phenomenon seems to be a matter of catching up to something that has already made the jump in price structure.

The idea of a bubble market in arms has been in the forefront of my thinking for some years now. Ever since the WSJ article stating that antique firearms were on a par with art as an investment, were under valued in 1998 the price has been on the rise. However I keep being astonished that the market seems to keep going ever higher without slow down. The answer to this phenomenon seems to lie in the fact that the collector market remains somewhat small which induces stability. With an ever increasing population and finite supply it is obvious that the collector pool is increasing and prices are gong higher.. Now with the Gun Control mindset of the Dem's you are adding a whole new demographic to the firearms calculus.

My feeling is that so long as the Dem's have a monopoly on political power the price of those assault thingys and ammo will remain in great demand. This fear will not subside. The question is whether the demand by people who want these things will eventually be satisified and sales level off and even fall back to prior levels.

In 1992 in CA when it was announced that Assault Weapons would be banned there was an immediate rush on them. People who had no intention of buying one suddenly felt the need and want. Sales doubled and tripled. For years afterward the arms market in CA was slow because people had spent their money on assault weapons and not other arms that they might oterwise have bought.

However the political and economic mix coupled with the threat of civil instability might just feed the American paranoia resulting in the ever increasing arming of America. Don't you Tread on me mtherfker is going to be the new mantra.