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What will happen to our local gun shops?

ni haoni hao Member Posts: 2,200 ✭✭✭
edited March 2013 in General Discussion
In my area, the small privately owned gun shops have almost no guns or ammo for sell. I know at least 1 is going out of business due to nothing to sell. They have utilities and insurance and other bills to pay and almost no sales. I have not talked to the other stores about this, but I believe they are about in the same shape. How are the gun stores doing in your area? Can they hold out until they are resupplied? I hope so, I hate to see us lose any more jobs and gun stores.

Comments

  • leadlead Member Posts: 2,311 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Most of ours are ok, but inventory isn't what it was. One shop is carrying some cheaper pistols just to have something on the shelf. All of them say that no one is trading anything in. All the ones with ammo are limiting it to 1 or 2 boxes per person. One pawn shop wil only sell you one box of ammo, if you buy a gun in that caliber.
  • the middlethe middle Member Posts: 3,089
    edited November -1
    In my area, they are still jamb packed, no place to park, etc.....

    They still have/have been/get ammo in everyday, and some guns too....enough to keep people coming in the door. They limit how many you can buy, unless you are a regular...then you can sweet talk 3 boxes instead of 2......

    In no danger of going out of business.....
  • GrasshopperGrasshopper Member Posts: 17,019 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have sold some of my guns and ammo to the point I don't want to sell them anymore to my favorite local shop,,..good thing he does it part time because he now has like 8 guns total left....Shame,, I really hate to see these go by the wayside
  • ChrisInTempeChrisInTempe Member Posts: 15,562
    edited November -1
    Honestly I have not been going into local gun shops because all the ones I pass are crowded. As in full parking lots.

    Don't know what they have to sell but they must be selling something!
  • cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Two of the local LGS have "temporarily closed".
    Can't stay open without guns and ammo.

    This is going to be an unintended consequence I am afraid.[:(]

    CP
  • pietro75pietro75 Member Posts: 7,048
    edited November -1
    We've had one close and the local black sheep sells only 50 rnd packs. purchase limit one per day per person at 3.99 a pack!
  • shootuadealshootuadeal Member Posts: 5,296 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by ni hao
    In my area, the small privately owned gun shops have almost no guns or ammo for sell. I know at least 1 is going out of business due to nothing to sell. They have utilities and insurance and other bills to pay and almost no sales. I have not talked to the other stores about this, but I believe they are about in the same shape. How are the gun stores doing in your area? Can they hold out until they are resupplied? I hope so, I hate to see us lose any more jobs and gun stores.



    Basic Gunshop 101 is turning your money over continiously enough to pay bills, employees, order new inventory to start over again over and over.

    If they have nothing to sell that means they sold out their entire inventory faster than normal or expected and should have the cash reserves to cover it for a couple months. If they sold 3-4 months worth of product in a month and didn't get anything to replace it they should still be good for several months. If they sold out of product in 3 weeks after the Sandy Hook shooting and bought 2 new vehicles and a house with the money, well that is what would sink a small gun shop.

    Just my perspective.

    I see in my crystal ball more than a few small gunshops closing up in the next year due to very poor planning, namely going to 5 distributor shows and ordering 1500 AR's at each one thinking the madness that was going on at the time was gonna last forever and you and only you were gonna be the one getting all these AR's(and everything else including the 400,000,000 rounds of pmc 223 ammo you ordered) and then distributors shipping all this stuff to said shops when it all catches up and there is no market due to the fact everyone has bought and stocked up all the guns and ammo they need for awhile.
  • 35 Whelen35 Whelen Member Posts: 14,307 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by pietro75
    We've had one close and the local black sheep sells only 50 rnd packs. purchase limit one per day per person at 3.99 a pack!



    Black Sheep? I haven't been in one of those stores for years. It was a sad day when the one in Missoula closed.
    An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.
  • torosapotorosapo Member Posts: 4,946
    edited November -1
    Our local shop had plenty of guns last time I was in there a couple weeks ago. Some calibers of ammo was in short supply. Talked to a guy from the next town over (about 70 miles), he said the grocery store had best prices on 22 ammo.
  • drsckdrsck Member Posts: 992
    edited November -1
    A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with a fellow who owns a great old fashioned gun shop in a little town in western New York. Used to visit every year when we went to see the in-laws, but after they died and the wife died, just haven't had the heart to go. It was great to see him, but he was at a show in Kentucky because he was trying to sell stuff that he wasn't going to be allowed to sell in New York and buy stuff that he could sell in New York. He was saying that if he stays in business, he thinks that he's going to have to do a lot more on-line buying and selling and if he decides he has to do that and other folks decided the same thing, it will be driving up the prices on everything--even the stuff that isn't really in high demand right now. The alternative for him is going out of business, but as he said, he's too young for that and too old to find something else to do. We'll just wait and see, but it's got to be hard on all the small shop owners. On the other hand a new flashy shop with a state-of-the-art range just opened near me. They don't have a lot of inventory, but the range sure is bringing in the money. Maybe that's were the future is-no gun shop just a range.
  • bartman45bartman45 Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Shortage situation can and does happen in running a business. Good operator will have a plan in place for this occurrence.
  • MFIMFI Member Posts: 7,899 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We are running at about 30-40% inventory right now. I have been with one distributor for 23 years and I am a friend of the salesman which thank god he has fed us enough to plug along. He is my age so he isnt going to be retiring anytime soon thank God. Getting product out of my other 12 distributors is practically non existent. Since I have 5 kids I worry every night that when the well runs dry then what am I going to sell? Only the strong survive in this business. You have to work the internet and your sales people every day..
  • Cling2mygunsCling2myguns Member Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I foresee some of the small shops going under. But I don't necessarily think it is an UN-intended consequence.......
  • rambo rebelrambo rebel Member Posts: 4,028
    edited November -1
    one local guy has been putting nails into his own coffin. for years he's railed against private sales because it "takes money out of his pocket". never could convince him of the folly of that thinking.

    he's about to get his wish........and then some.

    and its the "and then some" that gets you........every time !!


    here comes the pain.
  • sharpshooter039sharpshooter039 Member Posts: 5,897 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    where are all these gun shortages at ? Around here you can buy almost anything you want except AR-15 style rifles and they are starting to hit the shelves again, I have seen ammo shortages but only in certain rounds like .223 , 7.62x39 & .22 . and even those can be found, they may be more than I want to pay or I may be limited in how many boxes I can buy but its out there. Even here on GB,,you can find almost anything you are looking for,,People just panic buying because they did not think ahead
  • Cling2mygunsCling2myguns Member Posts: 1,291 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sharpshooter039
    where are all these gun shortages at ? Around here you can buy almost anything you want except AR-15 style rifles and they are starting to hit the shelves again, I have seen ammo shortages but only in certain rounds like .223 , 7.62x39 & .22 . and even those can be found, they may be more than I want to pay or I may be limited in how many boxes I can buy but its out there. Even here on GB,,you can find almost anything you are looking for,,People just panic buying because they did not think ahead


    In Iowa. Around the Des Moines/Ames area every store that carries ammo has mostly empty shelves. No handgun ammo and only the unpopular rifle ammo. Even shotgun ammo is getting thin. Guns are available but limited models etc.
  • PanzerSlayer2PanzerSlayer2 Member Posts: 1,798 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A lot of the gun shops that only sell guns are struggling. Those that have indoor shooting ranges are doing better with almost all lanes packed nights and weekends.

    Depending on their bank loans, selling all your inventory one month and having little to sell the next 3 or 4 is default of their load agreement. Even if you have enough cash to cover it, banks view it as unsustainable to pay off their debt.
  • retroxler58retroxler58 Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Cling2myguns
    I foresee some of the small shops going under. But I don't necessarily think it is an UN-intended consequence.......
    Yep... I agree that poor planning or excess spending may have done in some smaller shops.
    But... If the drought is orchestrated correctly... What you end up with are just the big boys who are easily controlled through legislative mandates.

    Take it for what it's worth... But this isn't going away anytime real soon.

    IMO... The gub'ment is artificially keeping demand high which affects the supply.
    No supply... And the little guys wither on the vine.
    Once they release the demand strangle hold... Then supply will be providing the big boys.
    Who don't want to go against the gub'ment...

    Watch this thing ain't over yet...
  • edgecamedgecam Member Posts: 3,280
    edited November -1
    the local shop I go to ran low on inventory at the end of January. They closed up and remodeled the store and reopened in march with a full inventory and are still selling guns ans ammo at the best prices around.
  • GrasshopperGrasshopper Member Posts: 17,019 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by edgecam
    the local shop I go to ran low on inventory at the end of January. They closed up and remodeled the store and reopened in march with a full inventory and are still selling guns ans ammo at the best prices around.


    Good story,,glad for them-
  • retroxler58retroxler58 Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by mm8nambu
    quote:Originally posted by edgecam
    the local shop I go to ran low on inventory at the end of January. They closed up and remodeled the store and reopened in march with a full inventory and are still selling guns ans ammo at the best prices around.


    Good story,,glad for them-
    Yep... Sounds like someone had a head on their shoulders and understood business...

    Good on them... [;)]
  • bartman45bartman45 Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by retroxler58
    quote:Originally posted by mm8nambu
    quote:Originally posted by edgecam
    the local shop I go to ran low on inventory at the end of January. They closed up and remodeled the store and reopened in march with a full inventory and are still selling guns ans ammo at the best prices around.


    Good story,,glad for them-
    Yep... Sounds like someone had a head on their shoulders and understood business...

    Good on them... [;)]


    Yup. Proactive, not reactive.
  • DieHard4DieHard4 Member Posts: 2,373 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Mine has lots of high priced ammo, and the range is packed all day every day. Don't blame them for the ammo prices, cause I don't want to see them disappear since they sold all their guns.
  • Waco WaltzWaco Waltz Member Posts: 10,836 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Wal marts shelfs here are getting more bare by the month. I have noticed you can buy PTR's and Romanian AK's from the on line outlets again.
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