Training
The increase in the number of new gun owners means that there will be an influx of people who want to learn how to effectively use a gun. This translates into shooting clubs, shooting instructors, and safety instructors being supplied with a larger clientele base.
Government Response
While the number of individuals that own a gun tends to increase following a terrorist attack, there is a higher level of scrutiny on gun control. The government of a country will usually respond to terrorist activity be reevaluating their current gun control statutes in order to prevent guns from being sold to terrorists. This can result in the tightening of gun control laws and may dissuade citizens from trying to purchase a gun due to the increased amount of red tape that is associated with purchasing a gun.
Outcome
The overall economic outcome of such a combination of events makes it difficult to predict how gun sales will react in response to terrorist activities. On one hand there are more people who are motivated to buy a gun for protection. On the other hand, gun control laws usually become more stringent and can deter those that are not highly motivated from going through the necessary background checks and procedures that are created by a government in response to terrorism. Thus, each individual case is different and no country’s reaction is exactly the same in regards to gun control and terrorism. Therefore, there is no hard and fast way to predict whether terrorism has a positive or negative effect on gun sales across the board.
Terrorism and Third World Countries
Terrorist attacks often kill thousands of people and send a clear message to millions of people in the developed countries of the world. News of such events reaches citizens almost instantaneously as CNN and other news providers seem to be live on location mere minutes following an attack. The spread of information regarding the terrorist attack is further spurred on by the internet and satellites which get reports to all four corners of the globe within seconds. With such a highly advanced and media-driven world it is difficult to avoid being made aware of a major terrorist attack or breaking news stories involving terrorism in any Third World country.
Third World Countries
A small tribe in a thick African jungle is not globally connected to the internet. They have no television to watch CNN reports of a terrorist attack and are often unaware of such terrorist events. Third world countries are technologically less advanced in comparison to other developed nations, such as the United States, Japan, or Britain. This results in local economies not responding to news of such events because such news has little or no bearing on the local economy. For example, a small farming community in a Third World country does little or no importing or exporting of goods and relies only on economic factors that are geographically close to the local community. Thus, events in other parts of the world have less effect on their local economy in comparison to the global economy which reacts in a very volatile fashion following a large scale terrorist attack.
Outcome
With the more developed countries focusing more attention to restoring or stabilizing their own economies and making larger efforts to increase their national security, spending on foreign aid that could have possibly gone to help those in third world countries by providing food or medical care is often cut. The result is hunger and disease going unaided ultimately because of the terrorist activities that occurred. Thus, while a Third World country may not be locally affected or even aware of a terrorist event, they quite possibly could feel the fallout effects of spending cuts in the more developed countries due to terrorism.
Terrorism and Alliances
Terrorism will generally result in a retaliatory response by the nation that is attacked. This response may or may not be seen by other nations as proper and may or may not be supported. Thus, countries that support a retaliatory action seem to be on the same side as the nation retaliating. Such an alliance signifies good will and can even help to perpetuate a positive relationship when such a retaliatory campaign finally comes to a close.
Economic Effects
The economic effect of a strong alliance assures that there will be future strengthening and cohesion between the economies, often growth in trade, among other things. The result is often a strengthening of both of the nation’s respective economies. In essence, a traumatic event such as a terrorist attack can bring two or more nations together to fight side by side with a common goal in mind. This military alliance often lays the ground work for an economical alliance which can be beneficial to all parties involved. Such an alliance is often seen between the United States and Britain as the two nations typically share both an economical and a military alliance in today’s modern era.
Left Out
Those countries that do not choose to takes sides with the eventual winner of a military struggle are often left with less of an economic advantage. For example, countries that allied themselves with Nazi Germany during World War II suffered the economic consequences once the Nazi alliance was defeated. In much the same way, countries that allied themselves with Britain and the United States in response to 9/11 attacks have had much more economic opportunity available to them through trade as a result of their military stance on terrorism.
Outcome
It seems that alliances against terrorism adhere to the old adage that states, “to the victor go the spoils.” It is historically advantageous for a nation to align themselves with the eventual winner of a military struggle if they wish to see economical reward for their military actions. Throughout history, those that align themselves with small terrorist organizations stand less of a chance to prosper financially than those that side with the larger and more powerful nations of the world. This is sound evidence that terrorism can be a rallying point around which nations can ban together to establish alliances in many areas of the political world.
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