Looking at the future for gun dealers
One theme of this month’s issue of Shooting Industry is a look into the future of shooting and the gun business. When we gaze in that direction, there are few of us in the industry who see much in the way of moonbeams and butterflies.
Look for a big push by Handgun Control Inc. to shut down gun shows and close what they consider to be the major “loophole” in the Brady Bill: private sales of firearms between citizens. In theory, this should eliminate significant competition. In practice, something else may happen.
Remember when some gun dealers were saying that getting rid of the “basement FFL dealers” they called “pond scum” was all that stood between “legitimate” gun dealers and prosperity? Well, the current administration has savagely cut down the number of non-storefront FFL holders, yet most full-time gun retailers still find their businesses in a deep slump.
Will a ban on private sales of guns between civilians be as rosy as some say it will for the full-time firearms dealer? Down the road - a ways down the road, perhaps - that might become true. However, that particular light at the end of the tunnel might just have an onrushing locomotive attached.
Yes, making gun shows a thing of the past might send more local people to your door instead of a visiting competitor’s table at the shows. However, many full-time gun dealers make a considerable percentage of their income at gun shows instead of in the store, since, while few people will travel from out of state to visit a single gun shop, many will make the trek for the cornucopia of goodies found at a gun show. In short, while eliminating gun shows may eliminate some competition, it will also eliminate what is, or could be, a significant portion of your retail business from a customer base you wouldn’t normally be able to tap into.
“Last Chance” Syndrome
Remember the sales boom of ‘93 and ‘94, fueled by the public’s perception of “it’s our last chance to buy guns and stock up on ammo”? As front-page stories appear in newspapers about imminent closing of the Brady “loophole” (which many of your customers probably don’t even realize now exists), “last chance” syndrome will likely strike again. A whole bunch of your regular customers who were planning to buy their next guns from you will now start thinking, “This is my last chance to legally purchase a few guns that are ‘off paper’ that I can be certain my kids will inherit after I’m gone if they ban private ownership of handguns or even all firearms by then.’”
As everyone in the industry learned in the “Black Friday’ aftermath of the ‘94 sales pinnacle, the American shooter and gun enthusiast has a finite budget. If he decides to apply that budget to off-paper guns he thinks are “confiscation-proof,” and can be socked away for his heirs, each of those purchases is going to be money out of your pocket. He’ll be shopping through the classified ads in the newspaper and those “shopper news” publications. The only money of his you’ll see for a while will be when he buys a holster or a couple of boxes of ammo for a gun he bought in a private sale.
Before President Clinton is out of the White House, look for him to make massive attacks on gun owners’ civil rights that will make the import ban of April ‘98 appear trivial. By all accounts, his designated Democratic heir Al Gore is even worse on the gun issue. Few pragmatic observers of the political scene see a Republican emerging who will have much chance of winning the next presidential election. That tunnel we’ve been talking about is a long one, and any positive light at the end of it is pretty dim at the moment.
So, what to do? Here are a few suggestions, some of which you’ve heard here before.
Don’t neglect your regular customers. The average age of both the American hunter and the American shooter is climbing significantly. Handgunners have discovered that, since it’s the eyes that seem to go first, red-dot sights and scopes add another decade or more to an enthusiast’s shooting career. Look into the new small red-dot units, the Ashley Express handgun sight, ghost rings for handguns as well as long guns, and lasers. They make sense for older shooters whose vision is going in order to keep them buying more guns, ammo, and accessories from you.
Provide the equipment for alternate shooting experiences. Urban encroachment and political correctness continue to shut down established gun clubs and shooting ranges and stifle others before they can be built. That situation is going to get worse before it gets better. Conversely, air guns have never been as good as they are right now. Double your sales efforts in that direction. There is no reason each of your customers shouldn’t have a collection of air guns, a bullet trap in their basement or garage, and plenty of pellets and related accessories - all purchased from you.
In line with that, consider stocking devices like the Beamhit Training System. I’ve sold several. They hook up to a computer, something most of your customers already have in the home, and can be attached to several types of firearms. The customer realizes it’s like having his own shooting video game, with the bonus that he’s building “trigger time” with his own firearms. Set one up on display in your store and see what happens.