Record Gun Sales in Austria as Refugee Crisis Accelerates

Most Americans like to believe that the citizens of Europe have been completely disarmed by their governments, but that’s only partially true. Gun rights vary considerably from nation to nation, and guns can still be had, even in places with strict laws. However, a very interesting trend has emerged in those places.

Despite how hard it is to attain these weapons in countries like Austria, firearms are currently being sold there in record numbers much like they are in the United States. But instead of the threat of confiscation, this trend is being fueled by the refugee crisis. According to a Czech TV report, pretty much all of the long guns in the country have been sold out for the past three weeks. One gun merchant revealed that most of the buyers are women who want to protect themselves, and those who can’t buy firearms are buying up pepper spray.

Prior to the refugee crisis, most gun buyers were sportsman and hunters. Now there is a growing interest in buying weapons for self-defense. And according to Alan Gottlieb, vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, European attitudes on firearm ownership are beginning to shift. “I just returned from a gun rights meeting in Belgium, and I can attest that all over Europe people now want the means to defend themselves. Self-defense is no longer a dirty word. In countries like Austria, where it is still legal to own a firearm, gun sales are at record levels. I can tell you first-hand that people in Europe now wish they had a Second Amendment.”