Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Political Shifts, Sales Slump Cast Shadow Over Gun Industry
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
January 22, 2019

Share

When gunmakers and dealers gather this week in Las Vegas for the industry’s largest annual conference, they will be grappling with slumping sales and a shift in politics that many didn’t envision two years ago when gun-friendly Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Congress took office.
Some of the top priorities for the industry — expanding the reach of concealed carry permits and easing restrictions on so-called “silencers” — remain in limbo, and prospects for expanding gun rights are nil for the foreseeable future.
Instead, fueled by the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the federal government banned bump stocks and newly in-charge U.S. House Democrats introduced legislation that would require background checks for virtually every firearm sale, regardless of whether it’s from a gun dealer or a private sale.
Even without Democrats’ gains in November’s midterm elections, the industry was facing a so-called “Trump slump,” a plummet in sales that happens amid gun rights-friendly administrations. Background checks were at an all-time high in 2016, President Barack Obama’s last full year in office, numbering more than 27.5 million; since then, background checks have been at about 25 million each year.

‘Numbers Are Down, You Can’t Deny It’

Gary Ramey, owner of Georgian gunmaker Honor Defense, says the mood at last year’s SHOT Show, which stands for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, was subdued. He’s expecting the same this year.

“After the Parkland shooting, (gun rights’ initiatives) were kind of frozen in their tracks. Now there’s no chance that it’s going anywhere.” Robert J. Spitzer, chairman of political science at the State University of New York
“There was no one to beat up. You didn’t have President Obama to put up in PowerPoint and say ‘He’s the best gun salesman, look what he’s doing to our country,'” he said.
“Numbers are down,” he added. “You can’t deny it.”
Robert J. Spitzer, chairman of political science at the State University of New York at Cortland and a longtime watcher of gun issues, said that not only have shifting politics made it difficult for the gun industry to gain ground but high-profile mass shootings — like the Las Vegas shooting that happened just miles from where the SHOT Show will be held and the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting — also cast a pall.
“After the Parkland shooting, (gun rights’ initiatives) were kind of frozen in their tracks,” Spitzer said. “Now there’s no chance that it’s going anywhere.”
It’s easier to drive up gun sales when there’s the threat or risk of gun-rights being restricted, he said. “It’s harder to rally people when your target is one house of Congress. It just doesn’t have the same galvanizing effect.”

Gun-Control Advocates Rejoicing

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show has been held annually for more than four decades. This year more than 60,000 will attend the event that runs Tuesday through Friday — from gun dealers and manufacturers to companies that cater to law enforcement. There’s a wait list for exhibitors that is several hundred names long and it will have some 13 miles of aisles featuring products from more than 1,700 companies.

“Without a fake menace in the White House to gin up fears, gun sales have been in a Trump slump and, as a result, the NRA is on the rocks.” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety
Last year’s show in Las Vegas was held just months after a gunman killed 58 people and injured hundreds at an outdoor music festival. The massacre was carried out by a gunman armed with bump stocks, which allow the long guns to mimic fully automatic weapons.
Organizers last year restricted media access to trade journalists. This year’s show will again allow reporters from mainstream media to attend.
Gun-control advocates are rejoicing in the gun industry’s misfortunes of late and chalking it up to not just shifting attitudes among Americans but a shift in elected political leaders.
“Without a fake menace in the White House to gin up fears, gun sales have been in a Trump slump and, as a result, the NRA is on the rocks,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Joe Bartozzi, the new president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said the industry isn’t disturbed by the drop in gun sales or the shift in federal politics. While Democrats who ran on gun-control platforms made huge gains in the House, he sees the Senate shifting to the other end of the spectrum.

Campaign Bolstered by $30 Million From NRA

“Having been in the industry for over 30 years and seeing the trends of gun sales ebb and flow over time, it’s very hard to put your finger on any one specific issue as to why this happens. It’s just the cyclical nature of the business,” he said.
Trump’s campaign was bolstered by about $30 million from the National Rifle Association and when he took office, the industry had hoped that a host of gun rights would be enacted. The Trump administration quickly nixed an Obama-imposed rule that made it more difficult for some disabled people to purchase and possess firearms.
But other industry priorities, such as reciprocity between states for carrying certain concealed firearms and a measure that would ease restrictions on purchasing suppressors that help muffle the sound when a gun is fired, failed to gain traction.
For now, Bartozzi said his organization is focused on a measure that would expand public gun ranges, funded by an existing tax on firearms and ammunition sales that supports conservation, safety programs and shooting ranges on public lands. The hope is that increasing the number of public ranges will encourage more people to become hunters.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

DON'T MISS

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

DON'T MISS

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

DON'T MISS

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Falls as Trump Says China Violated Tariff Terms

DON'T MISS

US Consumer Spending Slows in April, Inflation Benign

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Lets Trump Revoke ‘Parole’ Status for Migrants

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

UP NEXT

Low-Income Compton Students Get $225M State-of-the-Art High School Campus

UP NEXT

Everyone Now Has an Opinion on Jake Tapper

UP NEXT

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

UP NEXT

CA State Senator Cited for Suspicion of Impaired Driving, Says She Wasn’t Intoxicated

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

42 minutes ago

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

44 minutes ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

51 minutes ago

Wall Street Falls as Trump Says China Violated Tariff Terms

1 hour ago

US Consumer Spending Slows in April, Inflation Benign

1 hour ago

US Supreme Court Lets Trump Revoke ‘Parole’ Status for Migrants

1 hour ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

17 hours ago

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

17 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

17 hours ago

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

18 hours ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are playing for the Stanley Cup once again. The Cup final is a rematch from last year. The Panthers...

25 minutes ago

25 minutes ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

29 minutes ago

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

31 minutes ago

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

42 minutes ago

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

44 minutes ago

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

51 minutes ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 19, 2025. REUTERSJeenah MoonFile Photo
1 hour ago

Wall Street Falls as Trump Says China Violated Tariff Terms

People look for presents at the Macy’s flagship store during the holiday season in New York City, U.S., December 10, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
1 hour ago

US Consumer Spending Slows in April, Inflation Benign

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend