When news broke that gun sales are booming in a mostly down economy, many national media outlets quickly concluded—as ABC put it—some fear “a second Obama administration might restrict gun ownership.”

No kidding. When the Supreme Court twice comes within one vote of ruling that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights doesn’t protect an individual right, Americans have a right to be concerned. When an incumbent president seeking a second term has already appointed two people on the nine-member Supreme Court who would likely vote away this basic human freedom, citizens have the right to be doubly concerned. And when you realize that, if re-elected, the incumbent president would have a good chance of getting a few more Supreme Court picks—and so could reshape the high court into an anti-gun last word for decades—people are going to be motivated to buy firearms right now.

However, while all that is true, there is a deeper truth the media is missing—or maybe avoiding.

Although the Obama factor has contributed to the recent spike in the sales of some types of firearms, this simplistic answer ignores the fact that gun sales have basically been increasing for decades. Also, saying the increase in gun sales is only about President Barack Obama allows some in the mainstream media to imply this trend is being driven solely by people they characterize as government-loathing, “red state” rednecks. This way they can write off the whole thing as a simpleminded fear held by those who, as Obama himself once put it, “cling to guns and religion.”

The truth is there are many factors driving the sales figures, and sales are up everywhere, even in “blue states.” The top reason hasn’t been President Obama, but rather the movement for freedom spearheaded by the National Rifle Association and its robust membership.

To make this clear, let’s go through the statistics and details to see the big picture the media would rather not address.

For more read my article in America’s 1st Freedom.