Side Effects of Covid 19 on the firearms industry
This is only one of the many side effects of the covid 19 on the firearms industry. Unless you have been living under a rock or a deserted remote island you have for sure heard of the panic purchasing of all retail items during this covid 19 outbreak. Few items have been spared from being cleared from store shelves except for corona beer and the gallon size cans of fake nacho cheese. Bread, eggs, flour, rice, dried beans, pasta, butter, lunch meats, hot-dogs, and even Toilet paper, yup people were buying things like stores would not be restocked. Then there was all the sporting goods stores, gun shops, big box stores that sell ammunition, people were panic buying what ever was available, these are just some of the side effects of covid 19 on the firearms industry. Luckily, once again our nations semi truck drivers were moving product from warehouses and manufactures to keep things on our local store shelves and move other essential products to help fight this virus. Even as a lot of the services semi truck drivers rely on were no longer there to help with there day to day needs, restaurants closed, large trucks don’t go through drive thru fast food joints, and then the concern that with all the personal contact they have during the day they would take the virus home to there families or become affected themselves.
Side effects of panic buying at gun shops during covid 19
Sporting goods stores, gun shops and any store selling ammunition had a large increase of people buying what ever guns and ammo they could get there hands on. Over the last few years there have been several other times in the USA where we have witnessed large surges of guns and ammo but this was different. In the past people were buying based on possible legislation that may have had an affect on the future purchases or legality of owning a particular type of firearm. During Covid 19 people were wanting to make sure they had the ability to protect there families or even there selves. One positive outtake is that gun owners were already stocked up and prepared to protect themselves.
We deal with quite a few gun stores across the US and were hearing some concerning news. Guns and ammo were fling off the shelves from New York to California with less of an effect in the heart of country. We were told by store owners that the people buying guns were not the regular customers who they knew from previous sales, these were new customers and in a lot of cases were first time gun purchasers. These customers came in at first looking for shotguns particularly 12 gauge, then any handgun that there was ammunition available for, then came the rifles with ammo, these people were buying out of the concern for protection. In many cases after a few days the stores were left with little or no inventory except for a few collector or obsolete firearms.
We were getting quite a few calls asking if we had any ammunition, generally people are looking for .223 / .556, 9mm, 40 cal but we were even getting request for 38 special, .45 long colt and other not so common cartridges. And even though our range is private and for product testing and R&D people were inquiring to use our range to shoot there new gun since they had never shot one before.
New gun purchasers were confused with gun buying process
One common thing I heard from store owners in states with waiting periods, was that the customers were upset that they could not leave with the firearm they had just picked out, they were told by the mainstream media and even politicians in high places that guns were easier to buy than books. Some were mad, some made offers to pay an extra $500.00 to let it slip through the cracks. Of course the gun shop owners had to do transactions in accordance with local and federal laws and had to for the time being leave the concerned customer with out his or her firearm.
New gun owners offer new opportunities for old gun owners
With large number of new gun owners it offers a huge opportunity for the firearms community to grow the numbers of supporters of the 2nd Amendment and even your local shooting facility with new members. Hopefully the new gun owners will acquire some safety training and become proficient with there new firearms and if they are looking for steel targets or accessories to help with there training needs Rogue Shooting Targets is here to offer a large selection and fast free shipping in the continental USA, shoot us an e-mail for more info.
These new gun owners had a real concern and realized something that gun owners have all known all along, that we all have to provide the essential items for our friends and families and that protection and security is just one of those and while our police do a great job, ultimately it is up to the people. If there is something good to come from this virus, just maybe we can use shooting sports to help reunite the people and get us on a path to help protect and defend the right of the people to bear arms in this great country once again.
