Gun Sales Boom Spurred by First-Time Buyers
We all know that gun and ammo sales have risen dramatically in recent months. Firearms sales through large retailers are up 39% compared to last year, according to SportsOneSource, a company that provides research for the outdoor industry.
What may be surprising is that there is a “new audience” of Americans who are buying firearms for the first time. Gun vendors are reporting a major increase in firearm purchases by novice shooters and first-time gun-owners. According to a recent article on the Time Magazine website, Americans who have never owned a gun before are now motivated to arm themselves: “A new market of gun buyers is emerging. [Oklahoma Gunshop owner] Miles Hall estimates that some 80% of his sales since the election have been to first- and second-time gun purchasers, many nervous that this may be their last chance.” According to the Time article, many Americans are purchasing firearms due to fears that crime may rise as the economy falters: “Americans are afraid of this economy. As a result, they’re getting locked and loaded.”
In sporting goods stores nationwide, and on internet gun forums, people are wondering “where has all the ammo gone?” Well, based on the sales of firearms, the answer may be that ammo supplies are being snapped up by the same folks who are buying guns for the first time.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show wrapped up Sunday in Orlando with strong attendance and a cautiously optimistic outlook for the coming business year. Though many trade shows have seen a decline in attendance, SHOT Show attendance increased 3% when compared to its last visit to Orlando in 2007, and was down just 6% when compared to last year’s record-breaking show in Las Vegas. According to preliminary figures, this year’s show attracted 25,384 attendees, 22,098 exhibiting personnel and a record 1,425 members of the media for a total attendance of 48,907.
