The Appeal of Firearms: Weapons of Choice for Americans

Gun ownership is a jealously guarded and strenuously upheld right in most areas of the country, whether hunting interests, regard for personal protection, or support for the military and law enforcement are factors in the reasoning. Established handgun and rifle manufacturers have long relied on police and Pentagon contracts or hunters' requests for specialty firearms to keep plants busy and stockholders content. But this year's record-breaking surge in sales, driven supposedly in part by overblown fears that the new President would institute a complete ban on firearms, has tested manufacturers' capacities, driven prices up, and caused a run on ammunition supplies. Barack Obama has many issues to deal with, but apparently even reinstating the ban on semiautomatic assault weapons isn't on any currently acknowledged agenda, let alone tackling control and/or confiscation as regards present firearms-ownership status.

Firearms dealers in most states have reported strong sales figures, and related excise tax collections have reached unprecedented levels. This tax supports programs aimed at hunters but also benefits wildlife conservation projects. An increased number of FBI background checks on gun purchasers also contributes to an impression of near-panic buying of weapons for personal use. Recently approved legislation in several states allows concealed-carry options for people wishing to bring along guns in purses or valises, in glove compartments or in trunks, no matter the occasion or location.

The mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, faced a storm of protest when he tried to promulgate a city-wide ban on guns. Possibly he was thinking enviously of Chicago, a city that does currently ban handguns, a situation that is soon to come under Supreme Court review. Controversy over just how restrictively or how permissively the Second Amendment should be interpreted may be eased by the top court's ruling, anticipated to be announced in mid-2010.

Another legal issue bedeviling the industry is the so-called gun show loophole, an omission in the background-checks requirement for gun purchasers at such events. Gun shows are popular and vary in size, specialization, and professionalism. One of the best-known is the Houston Gun Show, held three times a year at the Reliant Center and presented by the Houston Gun Collectors Association. But smaller versions, from flea market displays to weekend mall events, are also well attended, with visitors looking to sell firearms as well as to check out new models and accessories.

Top U.S. manufacturers include Connecticut-based Colt, North Carolina-headquartered Remington, Smith & Wesson of Massachusetts, and another Connecticut company, Sturm Ruger. Austria's Glock supplies many city and town police forces around the country. All have enjoyed setting new sales records, according to recent quarterly reports in the case of the American companies and according to industry experts in the case of the privately held Glock.

Apparently the ongoing economic downturn has not affected people who prize gun ownership or, at any rate, has not affected them enough to curtail or postpone shopping for a first gun or for additions to a collection. Sales are expected to slow as panic and paranoia recede, as attempts to clamp down on privately owned guns diminish or lose impetus, and as a certain saturation level is approached. Some factories working full out may well return to single-shift operation. Meanwhile, there are guns everywhere, in every locality, in every level of society, from business bosses worried about angry laid-off staff to veterans wanting a familiar weapon to hand, from working women worried about personal security to folks who look forward every year to hunting season. What's your weapon of choice?

Paul Ruffin, "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, Off To The Gun Show We Go", The Literary Review
Paul Barrett, Brian Grow and Jack Ewing, "Glock's Secret Path to Profits", Business Week
"Planning for the worst: soaring gun sales in Arizona", The Economist
"Supreme Court to Hear 2nd Amendment Challenge to Chicago Gun Ban", BNet/Business Wire
Peter Applebome, "When Fear and fury drive gun sales", New York Times
Erik Schelzig, "Tenn. demonstrates trend of looser guns laws in about half the states", Star Tribune/AP