AZ: .50 BMG Ammunition at Wal-Mart

To any fair minded observer, gun ownership, the familiarity with and acceptance of guns, and the embracing of guns by American society, has been in a decades long resurgence. 

I spotted an indicator of this reality in a local Wal-Mart a few days ago.  I often stop by the Wal-Mart ammunition counter to see what is happening.  While .22 ammunition is starting to appear on the shelves of dedicated gun stores, it is absent from Wal-Mart in Yuma, Arizona. 

But .50 Browning Machine Gun ammunition is there.  The .50 BMG has been gaining popularity with American shooters for decades.  It offers long range potential at just about the limit of easily carried ordinance.  A few people have hunted with the caliber.   It makes most “elephant” guns look anemic in comparison.  But it is primarily used for ultra-long range target shooting, and of course, has military potential.  It is precisely the sort of thing the Second Amendment was written to protect. 

.50 BMG, 9mm for comparison

It is tremendously fun to shoot.

I have often thought of purchasing a .50.  I have property where it could be shot at range without having to worry about bothering other shooters.  I have managed to resist the urge so far.

Seeing .50 BMG in the Wal-Mart ammunition section shows how far the celebration of American gun culture has advanced.  It is a speciality product that is hated by disarmists who wish to ban it, even though it is virtually never used in crime.  .50 caliber rifles are so large, long, and unwieldy that they would be relatively hard to commit suicide with.  I have never heard of it being done with one.

Why do the disarmists hate the .50 BMG?  Simple, really.  It is a symbol of freedom, a symbol of power in the hands of the citizen.  It is refreshing to see it prospering.

Definition of  disarmist

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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