It’s all over the news …
And I’ve heard the same thing over and over from people I know “inside the industry” …
Trump may be the WORST thing to happen to the gun industry in nearly a decade!
What’s going on?
Here’s the story …
Obama was BEST for gun industry, Trump looks the WORST so far!
If you’re reading this, then you probably voted for Trump.
Good for you!
You also might have thought that Trump would be GREAT for the gun industry.
But the fact is, so far, he has been really bad.
Here’s the surprising reason why …
Obama Was The World’s Greatest Gun Salesman EVER!
You might remember, shortly after the election, I wrote an article called “3 Reasons Why Obama Was The BEST President America EVER Had For Gun Owners!”
I pointed out three facts:
#1: Obama’s Anti-Gun Policies Divided The Nation Into Vehemently Pro-Gun & Anti-Gun People
In short, he cured a lot of gun owners apathy.
He got a LOT of us to really care about gun ownership, protecting those rights, and buying more guns.
In fact, he led me to create this website you’re reading right now because I was so tired of him trying to ban guns!
#2: Obama Is 100% Certified The Greatest Gun Salesman In The History of The World!
More guns have been sold under Obama than any other president.
Period.
Practically every single month he was in office, record after record was broken in gun sales.
Of course this was mostly because so many people were worried he would ban guns — so we all stockpiled!
#3: Concealed Carry Has Grown More Under Obama Than Any Other President In History!
The bottom line is that — despite his best efforts to stop them — under Obama, right-to-carry laws have benefited to the point where there is NO state in the union that does not have some form of carry law because it was proven that it’s a constitutionally protected right.
Even Obama’s home town of Chicago, Illinois — one of the last hold outs — has a concealed carry law on the books now that happened during his presidency.
Why Pro-Gun Trump Has Been BAD For The Gun Industry … So Far
You might think, with full NRA endorsement, that President Trump would be great for the gun industry.
To quote the Donald …
“WRONG!”
1. Gun company stocks have dropped – and stayed down – since Trump was elected.
According to NPR, “… the day after the election shares of gun maker Sturm Ruger fell 14 percent. And the price of Smith & Wesson, which has since changed its name to the generic sounding American Outdoor Brands, fell 15 percent. Shares of both companies are still down”
2. Most companies in the gun industry are reporting lower sales (especially AR-15 companies!)
It’s estimated that AR-15 sales make up more than 70 percent of the long-rifle sales in the United States (after all, the AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America. Ever.)
But even AR-15 sales are down.
Boutique shop Primary Weapons Systems’ sales are down about 35 percent since Trump’s election last November.
Other gun companies are reporting the same. Sales are down all around!
3. The Gun Industry is laying off people left and right!
Trump promised to create jobs … but people are losing them in the gun industry!
According to IdahoStatesman.com,
“… Vista Outdoor, which operates Idaho’s largest ammunition-making plant in Lewiston, with 1,465 workers.
Vista reported a quarterly loss of $378 million in early March, compared with a profit of $43 million for the same period in 2016, the Lewiston Tribune reported. The company laid off 10 Lewiston workers in February and 15 in March, and it placed about 100 employees on furlough for a month.”
And they’re not the only ones …
“A Minnesota ammo maker, Federal Premium Ammunition, laid off 110 of its 1,430 workers in March, according to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.
“Remington Outdoor Co. laid off 110 workers at its New York plant in March, according to The Wall Street Journal.”
4. Even Silencer Sales Are Suffering Under Trump!
This one might surprise you, given that there is a pro-silencer bill circulating right now largely due to Trump’s election.
But again, it has hurt sales!
In fact, “Silencer sales have dropped off nearly completely, because two federal bills would make it easier, quicker and cheaper to buy sound suppressors, Martinez said. One of the bills is sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
“Many people in the industry thought one of the bills would pass in the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. That prompted would-be silencer buyers to wait for its passage before buying, Martinez said.
“However, Martinez said there are not enough votes in the Senate to pass either bill. If either survives, passage will take years, he said.”
So Is The Gun Industry Going To Fizzle Out Under Trump?
I hope not.
Another problem is that many people think Trump is somehow America’s savior and that they don’t need to be prepared, buy guns or ammo, or get training anymore.
In the long term …
If the silencer bill passes …
If some type of national reciprocity for concealed carry passes …
Then I think we will maybe see an uptick in the gun industry.
Will it rival the legendary growth under Obama?
I doubt it!
But maybe the shooting sports industry will grow. Maybe more youth will get involved. And maybe more and more people will start to conceal carry under Trump.
My only hope is that a — seemingly — pro-gun President Trump will help to reinvigorate the gun culture in America. In the long run. Because it’s not happening now!
Barry Islama was a joke! All he did was instill fear, division, racial tension and make a never ending attempt at socializing this country. Gun sales went way up because of him allowing countless numbers of illegals (mostly terrorists or terrorist sympathizers) into this country and then demanding that ICE was not to interfere with them even knowing they were illegals. Even the FBI considered Islama a domestic terrorist! And as far as gun sales going down, did you ever stop to think that maybe the gun makers had to hire more people to keep up with the higher demand for gun ownership because of the fear and tension Islama created and now with Donald Trump easing a lot of that fear and tension the gun makers now need to reduce their workforce?
Yeah that’s the point Bill.
Of course I’m glad Obama is gone and out of office!
It’s just interesting is all — most people think the gun industry is booming right now — and it’s not!
While the US firearms industry certainly wants to help protect our 2A rights, at the same time I worry about a conflict of interest. They are well served by the tensions surrounding the protection of 2A rights because more worry equals higher sales. Less worry equals lower sales and stock market values.
Well, Caleb, keep in mind that in the real world, especially the Bizworld, that “…Nothing lasts forever, and everything always changes in the ‘meantime’ “–P.J. Klipangle..
The gun/ammo industry made enough of a fortune from Obama to last into the next presidential election. So what’s the big deal. Everything in business is a risk and all commerce based on emotional content market demand has to be constantly reinforced through ‘fear and urgency’ marketing or it dies out. So I don’t have any sympathy for the gun industry.. They were very lucky they made out quite well under the windfall circumstances and that’s it!
Because it could have been over completely for them in the not too distant future if Trump’s win had not sidetracked their totalitarian plans–notice I said ‘sidetracked’, NOT derailed and destroyed.
As far as the Silencer industry, well, sorry Charlie, part of a free market Capitalist society is the never foreseen consequences of Business ‘Competition’. The Suppressor manufacturers had a niche market carved out but again, things change in an entrepreneurial scientifically and mechanically advancing society.
CNC/machining advancements and soon 3-D printing evolutions will allow smaller companies to compete in just about anything. Check out the cool 3-D printed house, in less than 24 hours on site, developed by a Russian company? And of course if some of these techno-geniuses ever perfect a compact hand held small capacitator discharged semi-auto RAIL GUN, then the ‘boatload’ of AR platform makers will just have to abandon the sinking vessel, get in the small life boats, and set out for some island to survive on.
So, what we all should really be very seriously worrying about is the fact that Trump’s monkey wrench he through into the Totalitarian gun confiscation agenda is being thrown right back at him while the situation looks to be grim enough at this point that it wouldn’t surprise some of us who live and think in the real world if Trump were not re-elected and before that–like as soon as next year–the Billionaire Fascist Socialist Cartel takes back the Congress and the Senate Following and then let the Confiscation Games begin.
I mean, we supposedly elected trump to push back gun control laws and other anti-Constitutional liberty and Privacy violations ASAP?
But he hasn’t even hinted at any action in that direction since he was elected? He’s been on nothing but a personal defensive posture that’s not going away anytime soon
Meanwhile, treasonous legislators like Feinstein and Schumer are sponsoring new Bills like S:533, a bill to ‘modernize’ the Firearms Act of 1988 among others banning just about everything you own or want.
and in the meantime making headway in a prostituted bitch infighting GOP Congress with their plan to only allow the new hearing protection (silencer) bill to be passed if it includes background checks which we all-at least I think we all- by now realize is nothing, has been nothing all this time, and will always be nothing but a de facto registration data base for future confiscations, which makes this silencer Bill no better than the current NFA way to have one, for all practical totalitarian purposes!
And with the culmination this October of the New NATIONAL I.D. card (replicating Nazi identification papers even more perniciously), which requires carry for all national travel along with a mandatory passport even if you only want to fly domestically from Kalifornia to Chicago!
Oh, nobody knew about that? It was called the 2005 REAL I.D Act. They passed it while we were sleeping. Like we still are now, only more soundly because we think Trump is the born again ‘Savior’?
I just got my new ‘National I’D/ card Drivers license that has a chip and a data base, and as nano- technology improves, will no doubt have gps in the next ‘gen’ card, but now has a biometric photo identifier no doubt fully integrated with the facial Identification cameras soon to be, if not already coming to a theater near…EVERYONE!
Didn’t know about all that? Well here’s a question we should ALL want to know. Why hasn’t Trump disbanded, or at least shut down the whimsical and capricious Fiat interpretations of an illegal anti-Constitutional privacy violating NFA Act, and instead, ARE STILL JACKBOOTING PRIVATE BUSINESSES WHO MAKE PERFECTLY LEGAL SUPPRESSOR TUBES???
There wasn’t much outcry when the shut down SD tactical a few weeks ago. And now they just shut down Soventtrap Tactical in Florida and seized his business and home invaded his residence!
I thought all that shit was supposed to stop immediately under Trumps pledge to UPHOLD THE FUCKING CONSTITUTION? What’s next? Another Levoy Finicken type summary execution for bloggers who say things rogue agencies don’t like?
Or did we forget about the Malheur Massacre already?
Prepared gun owners: Your talking out of both sides of your mouths? When Obama was in office, the internet was full of articles on how he and his administration was going to take every ones guns. Of course every one ran to the nearest gun store and bought ammo and any kind of gun they could. Mostly AR15s! Now you act surprised that Trump isn’t doing the same thing? People aren’t afraid of losing there guns now, unless you live in California. Governor Brown is broke and is raising taxes as fast as he can. Not only that, he has made the AR15 illegal to buy any longer in the state, and to modify existing ones by the end of 2018. Do you think sales will go down then. Ya!
Yup the fear of obama really helped the gun industry. Nobody wants him back but gun makers sure are in a slump right now!
All bubbles eventually burst. The gun industry had it good for the last 8 years. Me personally I’m looking forward to prices dropping on everything from ammo to weapons. It’s a buyers market for now. But that too will change..
Trump is not the problem. The gun and ammunition industries have risen prices to where a normal working person cannot afford them. I have many guns but I have not bought very many of them from gun dealers because they are too expensive. I have bought 90% of the guns I own from individuals at a lot lower price than the guns dealers want and I will continue to do that. Now ammunition is a different story therefore I have been reloading for about 40 years, making my own bullets, making my own powder and by picking up all of my brass. Of course I was an explosive expert in the Military and learned to make powder cheaply which is often better than the powder for sale at stores. Lower your prices and I will buy from dealers.
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