The Frenzy for Firearms
Words Steve Dowdy
Photos Steve Dowdy
Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 12:42 pm
It’s hard to imagine what a normal day at the gun store used to be.
Empty shelves on the ammo floor at Bob's Gun Shop.
The current political arena brings with it a lot of distrust, uncertainty, and unrest. The current administration has a lengthy track record of anti-gun agendas, both written and verbal. Barack Obama, a self-professed constitutional scholar stated in February 2008 that he believed the Washington D.C. gun ban was constitutional. Luckily, the Supreme Court actually read the Constitution and overturned the ban. Obama also supported a 1996 handgun ban in Illinois. When asked about this during his presidential bid, he claimed it wasn’t his handwriting. Later he admitted it was, but that he was merely jotting down notes on the page.
Americans do not overlook the past records of politicians when trying to gauge the potential of future legislation. Add in the over-coverage of crimes, and fear-mongering that many in the media contribute to, and you start to understand why so many people bought so many guns in the past year.
I witnessed more first-time gun purchases this past year than I have at any time in the 20 years I have been in the firearms industry. And so did all of the others in the industry. Background checks for firearm purchases were up 26 percent from 2007. In the store this meant that after the election, it was so crowded people often waited an hour or more for help.
With so many firearms being sold in a short amount of time, the industry is now dealing with some unanticipated side effects. Certain firearms and ammunition have become scarce, which has fueled a secondary buying frenzy. The firearms industry could not have reasonably predicted the volume of sales that accompanied this last presidential election, and the shelves of most gun dealers bear witness to that fact. As people started to find out that they couldn’t shoot at the range on the weekend because they couldn’t find the caliber of ammunition they needed, the hunt for product intensified.
Our range usage noticeably declined because of a lack of ammo. A shortage of ammunition is the biggest challenge facing the industry right now. While sales of firearms have slowed down slightly, there are still lots of first-time gun-owners searching for ammunition. The ammo manufacturers are running at full capacity, many even adding capabilities and extra shifts, but they can’t keep pace with demand. Shortages of certain ammunition have even caused delays in the shipment of firearms because manufacturers couldn’t test-fire firearms before leaving the factory.
There are two types of firearms in the forefront of the frenzy right now: semi-automatic rifles and concealed carry handguns. The semi-automatic rifles have been greatly affected by legislation before. During the Clinton Administration, legislation was passed under the guise of crime prevention. The law limited new firearms to 10 rounds or less. It also called for the removal of bayonet lugs and collapsible stocks. Only in Washington would they consider a bayonet something to be feared. The Crime Bill was not renewed because of its ineffectiveness at doing anything about crime. People learn quickly, and do not want to see similar legislation passed again. The Obama Administration has stated they would like to see the Crime Bill re-enacted. So many purchases of semi-automatic rifles are directly due to people wanting to “get them while they can.”
Concealed carry handguns have increased in sales every year for the past decade. This is due in large part to the opening up of concealed carry throughout the nation. In the United States there are 48 states that have some form of concealed carry permits. As more sales have been made in the smaller handguns, demand has increased for the smaller caliber ammunition, which in years past has not been as popular.
The summer is starting to allow for a little industry catch-up. But as the political season heats up again after the summer recess, it will only take one comment from a politician to kick-start the frenzy again. While the increase in sales is nice for those of us in the industry, we don’t want to enjoy it at the price of losing our constitutionally guaranteed freedom.
Bob’s Gun Shop is located at 746 Granby Street in Norfolk.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Steve Dowdy is not your typical gun store employee. He is the manager of Bob's Gun Shop in Norfolk, VA. He is a graduate of ODU in the biological sciences, a trained K-12 teacher, and firearms instructor. Steve also co-founded the Concealed Carry Institute, also in Norfolk. He enjoys shooting, motorcycles, kayaking, golf, and spending time with his wife and two children.
Other posts by Steve Dowdy.
Other posts by Steve Dowdy.
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I am not anti-gun at all, but your description of scared first time gun buyers makes me really uncomfortable.
The worst type of gun owner is a scared one.
Combine that with less range use. To me that means gun buyers with less experience and practice. That freaks me out even more.
I can agree with your concern. I’ve been around awhile. My friends and I learned about safety and attitude first hand from the older shooters and owners. We went to the quarry and practiced with lots of supervision. We weren’t allowed to be foolish or unsafe until we demonstrated consitant skills in safety and the proper responsible behaviors and attitudes. Then we were taught how to teach others.
That’s what ranges are for. That’s what instructors are for.
Guns don’t belong in the hands of those who are unfamiliar, unpracticed or fools.
It is our responsibility to comment, just as you are doing, every time we see something that gives us cause for concern.
I think that gunshops and ffl’s who also require a safety course and range time prior to and after sales should be encouraged and preferred over other vendors.
I wouldn’t say they were scared of the guns, it’s more scared of the nature of the world. There was also more firearms training attained this past year than at any point in my training career. These new buyers are learning their stuff. If I were you, I wouldn’t be freaked out at all.
I didn’t mean they were scared of guns, just scared and buying guns out of fear.
I’m glad people are being trained, but that wasn’t how it sounded in the article.
I grew up around guns. I’m not anti-gun, but I am anti guns in the hands of scared and ignorant of how guns work, people.
I’d like to hear more about what Clinton’s policies were like compared to Obama, and whether sales went up exponentially when Clinton was voted into office. I’m curious to see comparisons to their beliefs and the publics reaction.
Nice Article. I purchased a pistol from Bob’s, took the training class and couldn’t be happier with their professionalism and attitude towards safe firearms usage.