Coronavirus. Joe Biden promising gun control and arguing with people about their rights. Economic uncertainty. Election year madness. 2020 is really shaping up to be a wild year with no clear signs or social or economic stability on the horizon. Between the threat of a pandemic, and Democratic promises to ban or even seize guns, plus a stock market that is on edge due to various trade wars and COVID-19 issues, there is only one thing for certain.
It’s time for another round of booming firearms sales.
Nobody loves the instability of boom/bust markets, but FFL holders should be used to that sort of thing by now. In good years people buy fewer guns. In bad years, people buy all the guns. Sometimes quite literally all of the guns. And all of the ammo. And even all the parts to make guns. Who here doesn’t remember being able to get .22LR at any price, or an acute shortage of key AR-15 parts?
So how does an FFL holder deal with a sudden (and almost assuredly temporary) demand for guns and ammo? How do you work with large numbers of first time gun buyers, and how do you convert them into regular customers and 2nd Amendment supporters? Well, those are all very good questions, so let’s take a closer look.
Virus Related Gun Sales are Up and Down
The ground zero spot for coronavirus in the United States is the Seattle area, and there are reliable reports that gun and ammo sales are on the rise in that region – largely spurred by the large Asian immigrant community who fears racial backlash and social unrest over the virus. Now regardless of if there is a real fear for irrational racism, these people believe it, and as is their right, they turn the the Second Amendment to be the final arbiter of their civil rights and personal protection when they believe society has abandoned them.
Because Washington State has some hideously stupid and draconian laws about waiting periods and training to buy any semiauto rifle (even .22’s!) and can take up to 10 days to process a handgun purchase without a concealed pistol license, many of these first time gun buyers are snapping up shotguns and shotgun ammo, plus lining up to take training classes.
This is a classic example of regional demand based on specific social and economic issues. A group of people believe they need to be armed, and it causes many people to buy guns for the first time. Because first time gun buyers are often unfamiliar with guns or may not have a cultural background of gun ownership, they rightfully look for training and means to familiarize themselves with their new purchases.
Right here is the perfect opportunity to make sure that shotgun they bought doesn’t linger in the closet or get sold cheaply after the crisis moment passes. The gun owning community has some rabidly conservative and even bigoted elements on the fringes that are often off putting to non traditional gun buyers, and much of the internal language of gun ownership and marketing is confusing or unapproachable which limits bringing people into the fold of gun ownership and 2A support.
Unless you know your customer, any sale is a good time to find out if that is their first gun, and what kind of knowledge they have about guns and their use. This is where you can sell training classes, books, or even a brief free orientation session. This is where you make somebody feel welcome regardless of who they are. The gun is the common denominator and once a person takes that first step of gun ownership, unless they get overwhelmed with information and activism, there is a good chance that they can become regular customers and gun rights supporters – which is important for weakening national support for gun control.
But while left leaning Seattle is suddenly becoming a hot market for first time gun sales and training classes, other areas are showing slumps.
We spoke with Darryl Hadfield, who is one of the owners of 3 Guy Supply in Cincinnati. They are an 01 FFL with an 03 SOT, and usually see pretty regular business. However, Darryl reports a sales slump at the moment and says “I’’m surprised that sales are slower, since we tend to do transfers for firearms purchased online – and there have been a lot less this month. I’d have expected in-person sales to drop, and online sales to increase.”
This is likely a coronavirus related slump, and we hope that it will go away soon, and be replaced with the regular election year uptick in sales – after all we really hate hearing and FFL report business is down!
So right now, where people are worried about their safety and liberty, gun sales are up. Where such fears are not present in local populations, they appear to be slumping due to people staying home and playing it safe. This is a great opportunity for marketing, especially if you handle a lot of online gun transfers. Emphasizing the ease of such things and the ability in most states to handle a transfer in about the time it takes to pump a tank of gas could help bring customers back into your store during virus related retail slump.
The 2020 Presidential Election
While coronavirus retail slumps should be expected for a couple of weeks, it might be prudent to welcome that slow business to prepare for what is a regular four year near or actual panic buy in gun sales – the presidential election.
Previously the left has paid lip service to the Second Amendment and laid mostly low on gun control or repeated their usual ill informed and poorly defined ideas about background checks, magazine capacity or bans on certain types of guns. Scary yes, but vague enough to be as much talking point as policy.
This time things are different – starting with failed candidate Beto O’Rourke, the Democrats have raced to the bottom to prove that outright bans and confiscation of popular common sporting and defensive arms are in fact on the table, planned and pursued.
While an old article, the points here remain true. Gun sales increase in uncertain times, and 2020 is shaping up to be pretty darn uncertain.
Wholesalers are reporting stocks of ammo and popular firearms are dropping and while it’s possible disruption to global trade has caused some of that, we should all know by now this was to be expected in a presidential election year.
So right now, if you are seeing a coronavirus related slump in sales – hang on and use this time to get ready for the big groundswell that will pick up more and more as we get closer and closer to November. And if you aren’t seeing a slump, well, hunker down, it’s only going to get busier!
