Gun sales slowing?

I can see the panic abating as gun control efforts on the federal level seem to be going nowhere.

The other reason for panic buying is civil unrest. We're not seeing quite as much of that either.

Was at my local gun shop this afternoon. Their business has slowed somewhat. Powder and primer sales have slowed greatly.

Seems like I've seen more AR's listed online for reasonable prices along with name brand .223 under a buck a round. So its possible.It really isn't sustainable how it is now.

I think it is a dog chasing it’s tail——low firearms sales since there is hardly any ammo and the ammo is hard to find because it’s being hoarded, held in the back of the store or held at the buyers groups. Who wants to buy a new firearm and NOT get the ammo? I load my own so I am more concerned with the reloading components shortages.

I see that the Scheels store in my town seems to be getting more inventory these days. They even have a NIB CZ 97.

AlexanderA: Exactly.

Any significant gun control efforts on the federal level have been too risky for “that” party— for many years, ie Al Gore (who?), Obama etc.

After a few more months a large fraction of gun owners will finally realize that the sharp rise in crime and other urban insecurity has started to Reverse the “Defund the P.” Movement.

Nobody can predict, but we could be slowly headed towards a huge surplus of used, or unfired “new” guns which (almost 100%) … somehow…. never saw any much-anticipated ....actual...Omega Man (remember Charlton Heston?) or Road Warrior movie scenarios-- except for a lonely 'insurgent" on target stands.

The one thing that is absolutely certain is that when we finally come out the other side of this shortage or whatever you want to call it, it will only be a matter of time before another comes along. I hope everyone who was caught with their pants down for this one won't let it happen again.

shafter said:

The one thing that is absolutely certain is that when we finally come out the other side of this shortage or whatever you want to call it, it will only be a matter of time before another comes along. I hope everyone who was caught with their pants down for this one won't let it happen again.

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There will always be those that are new and had no idea of what we are going through. My dad was the reloader and I was clueless during the Obama period. This is my first shortage. There will always be people caught that didn't know, and others that choose to get caught empty handed.

"... held in the back of the store ..."

Locally Dunham's found "in the back" of the store some overlooked 9mm Luger ammo and put the boxes out on the near empty ammo shelves at the marked pre ban panic prices. The clerk told my son and his friend the boxes had fallen behind some stuff in the store and were found when they were doing inventory.


That people buy ammo, shoot it all up at the range, then expect to find ammo sitting on the store shelves next time they want to go shooting or hunting utterly amazes me. Up to the 1968 Gun Control Act, I would periodically go to the public library, take the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature and seek out in the library's magazine shelves articles under the category Firearms Legislation (which included bound volumes going back years to the 1920s). I took notes on what gun control advocates were talking about and pushing. Ideas like a 5,000% sin tax on ammo and prohibition of handgun ammo were seriously considered advocated (especially .22 Short the caliber of the super deadly RG10 Saturday Night Special the weapon of choice of street gangs made only to kill). Following the 1968 Gun Control Act, ammunition sales were restricted to the brick-and-mortar business location of a Federal Firearms License holder (FFL): you presented yourself in person, the sale was recorded in the FFL's ammo bound book: name, address, drivers license number, caliber, make, quantity. The days of stopping on the way to the mountain at a non-FFL gas station or general store and buying a box of .22 rim fire, 12gauge, or .30-30 were over. Since I had to go through that process whether I bought one box of .22 LR or a carton of ten, I took to buying cartons. I also adopted a policy of having a five-year supply in reserve in case some of the more restrictive gun control ideas were ever applied.

My bottom line is this: there is no excuse to not have enough ammo in reserve to ride out a temporary glitch in supply and demand, which seems to strike every 4 years or so.

AlexanderA said:

I can see the panic abating as gun control efforts on the federal level seem to be going nowhere.

The other reason for panic buying is civil unrest. We're not seeing quite as much of that either.

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^^^ I agree. It also comes down to folks can only use so many guns. Much of this was influenced by first time gun buyers, both who were in fear of the civil unrest and those influenced into enamorment by social media and friends.Like Harleys back in the early 2000s, it suddenly became "cool" to have a gun for those who once thought they were not important. From 2002 to 2004 you had a hard time finding a new Harley for sale and if you did, odds are it was for more than MSRP. Similar to guns the last two years. Have a new UTV/ATV, try to find aftermarket parts. Try to find a new SxS in stock for sale. Around here they are non-existent and many are presold out to the 2022 model year. Lately, I see more UTVs/ATVs going down the road by my house than cars and trucks. I've rode dirt bike since the early 70s, but now with all the newbies in their 2000#, 100 HP crew cab UTVs on the trails, I won't ride 'em with the dirt bike anymore.

Humans are fickle.

One thing that will slow gun sales is no guns.

"Out of stock" seems to be the best phrase
to describe the situation.

Don't underestimate the effects of COVID lockdowns / restrictions, and then the relaxation of COVID restrictions. These both have had profound effects on all sorts of markets, including the gun market.

Among other things, gun sales are affected by the rise and fall of criminality. Petty criminal activity, like everything else, declined during COVID lockdowns. Now it's starting to pick up again. If it gets much worse, law-abiding people are going to continue buying guns, even though organized "civil unrest" has been declining. I still think the worst of the panic buying is behind us.

High Plains said:

I think it is a dog chasing it’s tail——low firearms sales since there is hardly any ammo and the ammo is hard to find because it’s being hoarded, held in the back of the store or held at the buyers groups. Who wants to buy a new firearm and NOT get the ammo? I load my own so I am more concerned with the reloading components shortages.

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Me... I purchased several guns over the past year and a half that I have not shot yet. I'm sure there are others just like. All my LGS (dozens in my area)have had ammo all throughout the pandemic and ammo has been available to purchase online throughout the pandemic. The issue was never not being able to find ammo, but rather the ammo that was available was grossly overpriced. I reckon most new and old gun owners purchased one box of ammo with their new gun, shot it once at the range, and then stored the gun away.

AlexanderA said:

Don't underestimate the effects of COVID lockdowns / restrictions, and then the relaxation of COVID restrictions. These both have had profound effects on all sorts of markets, including the gun market.

Among other things, gun sales are affected by the rise and fall of criminality. Petty criminal activity, like everything else, declined during COVID lockdowns. Now it's starting to pick up again. If it gets much worse, law-abiding people are going to continue buying guns, even though organized "civil unrest" has been declining. I still think the worst of the panic buying is behind us.

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There have been civil unrest, mass shootings, and crime all throughout Trump's presidency leading up to Covid, and gun sales were low.

It was an election year and between the unemployment benefits that paid people more then they where making when they werw working, PPE loans, several stimulus checks, 401k being able to be withdrew from without penalty or having to pay it back, and tax refunds. All of that allowed people, including myself, to have extra disposable income to be able to buy multiple firearms at inflated prices. Now that money tree has dried up, things will return somewhat back to normal until the Senate has a gun control bill before them.

I worked thoughout Covid. There was plenty of overtime to be had even because all the people who were out. Even still, I well over 20k from tax refunds and stimulus checks were deposited into my bank account. I spent a three thousand of that money on bucket list firearms I always wanted. If it wasn't for stimulus payments, I would not have purchased any of the firearms I brought.

Praying the shells come down. That’s the real crux of the matter. Sadly, a seemingly infinite number of new buyers are and were clueless as to acceptable prices for ammunition when they were panic buying. There’s a few million new shooters out there who, bless there hearts, just don’t know paying a buck a shot for 5.56 is not acceptable.

JCooperfan1911 said:

There’s a few million new shooters out there who, bless there hearts, just don’t know paying a buck a shot for 5.56 is not acceptable.

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If they are paying it then clearly it is acceptable to them. Or at least more acceptable than the alternative of having no ammo at all.

Elkins45 said:

If they are paying it then clearly it is acceptable to them. Or at least more acceptable than the alternative of having no ammo at all.

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Well they’re ruining it for those with more sense than cents.

Styx said:

I spent a three thousand of that money on bucket list firearms I always wanted. If it wasn't for stimulus payments, I would not have purchased any of the firearms I brought.

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My wife and I are retired for the most part (wife still works part-time from home), and while we’re not “well off,” we’re relatively comfortable - comfortable enough to buy a new gun every once in a while anyway. That was until our well collapsed a few weeks ago.

The well driller finished drilling our new well the day before yesterday, and when our grandson was peering down the new casing at the water, I told him to look for the new .257 Weatherby Magnum I’d been planning on buying. Our grandson didn’t see my new rifle, but I swear it’s down there somewhere - along with several other expensive planned purchases that weren’t quite as “necessary” as having running water in the house.

BTW, we haven’t even gotten the 2nd “stimulus payment” yet. Our accountant even listed it so that it would be part of our federal tax refund, but all the IRS did was short us that amount when they deposited our refund in our bank account. And trying to get in touch with the IRS has been frustrating, and a tremendous waste of time as far as I'm concerned.

Anecdotal evidence from my purchase last weekend would suggest so. The BGC took about 10 minutes. A couple month prior and it was almost a full week.

A sorts of things in pay here.

One is that people have reached a price point higher than the point they will "panic" buy. Which is a feature of bare shelves, and the related price increases.

Another is that those people who want a specific model of something are just having to wait until the inventory catches up to them, so, they are not buying.

There have not been another round of "stimulus" checks, too, which limits the amount of "free" money to spend.

And, there's a sort of "status quo" on societal "drivers" for sales, too. Which may change in the hotter months of summer. Or not.

ike most complicated questions, the answer is now a simple one. No matter how much our human minds insist upon simple answers to complex issues. Which is just the human condition.

JCooperfan1911 said:

Well they’re ruining it for those with more sense than cents.

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LOL

I think you need to look at it from their viewpoint. You want ammo, but they need it. If you just bought your first gun then without ammo you just dumped a ton of money on a poorly designed club.