It’s been about 6 weeks since I last shared my experiences selling firearms. Some things have changed, others have not.
Let’s start with the background check numbers. According to the FBI, there were some 2.88 million NICS checks run in July. While still a substantial number, there was a marked decrease from June (3.05m) and July of last year(3.64m).
Why the decrease? I honestly can’t say. At least where I work, Inventory is higher than it’s been in more than a year. We also have a wider selection of firearms than we’ve had for the same time period. Perhaps it was just the summer doldrums.
That said, It seems that sales are picking up again. This past Wednesday I processed 14 transactions in a six hour period. I haven’t been that busy since last July during all the riots and such. And that wasn’t a one off thing, traffic has picked up after the July slowdown.
As I said above, guns are becoming more and more available. While browsing through our distributors sites recently, I saw a lot less out of stock firearms.
If you’re in the market for a Remington 870, they seem to be hitting stores. Prices are a bit higher than you might remember, but that may just be the Hologram’s inflationary pressures.
Ammo is starting to loosen up some. And better, I’m not seeing the same 30 faces every day looking for ammo. It’s more like 15-20.
Now for a little industry news. The hologram imposed new sanctions on some Russian businesses. Big deal you say, its the GD Russians. Well, those sanctions affect ammo and gun imports. While it isn’t an outright ban on gun and ammo importation, it does place limits on the permits needed to import those products. While the sanctions are in place no new permits will be issued and no renewals will take place.