As the U.S. economy continues to suffer from the aftereffects of the worst recession since the Great Depression, one industry in particular has bucked the trend and churned out astronomical profits—the firearms industry.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the total economic impact of firearm sales—including jobs, taxes and sales—hit $31 billion in 2011. This figure represents an increase of over 63 percent since 2008.

Jobs in the firearms industry jumped a full 30 percent over the same time period.

The United States is the country with the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world. According to the New Yorker magazine, there are now nearly 300 million privately owned firearms in the U.S. This figure breaks down into 106 million handguns, 105 million rifles, and 83 million shotguns.

Many in the industry attribute the drastic jump in gun sales to fears that the Obama administration will tighten gun control laws in a possible second term.

It is unlikely, however, that President Obama would be able to overcome political opposition against restricting gun ownership. With this in mind, a much more probable explanation for this surge in firearm sales is that conditions on the world scene are rapidly deteriorating and people are concerned about their future safety.

As a recent article in the Trumpet explained, violent drug cartels have all but conquered Mexico and are now spilling into the U.S. To make matters worse, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Peter King, revealed last month that these cartels have cut a deal with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah and are now smuggling hundreds of operatives into the U.S.

This startling alliance is but one development that could be driving people to put their faith in firearms.

Another such development could be the threat posed by radical protesters within America. As the Occupy Wall Street movement spreads to cities across the nation, a subset of the protesters have turned to more radical means of getting their message out. In Oakland, California, millions of dollars of damage was done when protesters went on a looting rampage that ultimately ended in a violent clash with the police.

A third threat that could be causing this upsurge in gun sales is the imminent possibility of race riots. In the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting, the radical New Black Panther Party called on black men to mobilize and capture George Zimmerman, even offering a $10,000 reward for his capture.

Other black radicals have called for violent protests if the justice system does not handle this case the way they think it should be handled. All this talk of protests and violence has prompted Floridian members of the Detroit-based National Socialist Movement to tell FOX35 they are patrolling the streets of Sanford in order to protect whites. Even though police have not seen evidence of either Black Panther or National Socialist patrols, there is no denying that tensions are high.

People are stocking up on guns and ammunition to protect themselves from the above-listed threats, and the potential for explosive violence is increasing. Once shooting actually breaks out, there are enough weapons in the nation to unleash a wave of violence unseen in America since the Civil War.

In the fifth chapter of Ezekiel, God reveals that one third of the people in modern-day Israel will be killed in violent looting and rioting just before a German-led invasion. The proliferation of guns at a time when the country is beset by drug cartels, terrorists and violent protesters shows that America is nearing this episode of violence.

For further proof of these claims, read our article “Blood in the Streets” and then read Chapter Four of the booklet by our editor in chief Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet.