Appealing To
Millennials & Gen Z

At the risk of sounding like the beginning of a Family Feud round, I asked several people between the ages of 18 and 30 with various levels of experience what gun dealers should do to appeal to Millennials/Gen Z. The most common answer: stock guns from video games. This was a “duh” moment for me. Even though at 23, I fall into the age group, I’m very different — I’m more interested in lever guns than bullpups and scour the used gun section before anything else. However, I’m an anomaly. The evidence is there: Across the gun industry, there are a number of different military-themed rifles available and innumerable accessories.

Popular Culture’s Impact

Twenty-four-year-old Brian Nelson, a Grandmaster USPSA shooter and owner of Nelson Performance, a company that provides training for both military/law enforcement and civilians, noted the impact of culture.

“Young gun owners, like myself, grew up playing video games and watching movies like Black Hawk Down or John Wick — modern shooters with modern guns,” he said.

Whether it’s was the “cool” factor, desire to have a physical piece of what they see digitally, or aspiration to be like the characters on TV — popular culture has largely driven the demand for black guns.

Most young men, and some women, play video games. Call of Duty is one of the most popular. Even though the kids in my college dorm knew nothing about firearms or how to shoot, most could identify the differences between a M1 Garand and AR-15. How? Video games.

Twenty-two-year-old Kade Jackovich, former member of the Army Marksmanship Unit and casual video game player, elaborated on the topic. He explained even though arms in the games aren’t true to life (not accounting for bullet drop, ballistics, etc.), people begin to develop a connection with them.

“Many people today shop for their guns while playing video games. Without knowing much about real firearms, these people make assumptions, often incorrect, about the guns portrayed in video games,” he observed.

As an example, in one game it takes only one or two “hits” with the bolt-action 1903 to eliminate a target. With the semi-automatic M1 Garand, it’ll take three or five “hits” to do so. Those familiar with both arms will quickly realize this doesn’t make sense. Both are chambered in the same caliber, .30-06. Is one significantly lethal than the other?

Some manufacturers have realized the power of such games, licensing their product images and names to game developers, further increasing the demand for certain models.

Hard To Top Instant Gratification

However, stocking relevant firearms is only part of the equation. Immediacy and availability are also huge factors. People used to wait weeks for mail, sending telegrams when the message needed to arrive faster. Nowadays, most curse the internet when a page won’t load in seconds.

Shopping has also evolved. Rather than swarm stores, younger customers can use the internet to learn about and buy near anything from the comfort of their home — typically with a larger selection. Even though online firearm transfers must still go through an FFL, brick-and-mortar retailers have their work cut out for them when it comes to accessories.

“We’re used to shopping on Amazon — finding almost anything we need and having it delivered within a couple days,” Nelson said. “Retail gun stores won’t be able to compete with the infinite selection available online and will probably always be behind in price. For retailers to succeed with younger gun owners, they need to focus on a relevant inventory of ammo, accessories and guns — and staff that are knowledgeable enough to guide major purchases like guns and optics.”

While keeping inventory can be difficult in a post-COVID world, there’s something to be said for being able to walk in and out with a product right away without any shipping delay.

“For retailers to succeed with younger gun owners, they need to focus on a relevant inventory of ammo, accessories and guns — and staff that are knowledgeable enough to guide major purchases like guns and optics.”

— Brian Nelson, owner of Nelson Performance & USPSA Grandmaster

Focus On Education

Every customer interaction also comes with an opportunity to educate. Like any age group, there are some people who know about guns, some who don’t and others who think they do. Those who were introduced to firearms via video games are subject to more misinformation than those who have live-fire experience.

Most times I enter gun stores the staff are friendly and helpful. They don’t assume anything and are knowledgeable about their products. Recently, I had a very different experience. I was perusing the used gun section and came across a Hi-Standard .22 LR pistol I wanted to take a closer look at. I checked to be sure the gun was clear and dry-fired with some dummy rounds.

After cycling the action one or two times, it jammed. Performing all of the standard remedies had no effect. The young man behind the counter, likely only a few years my senior, took a turn at it with no greater success. Something wasn’t quite right with the gun. It might have needed a good cleaning or just some TLC, but he didn’t believe me, instead assuming “we” didn’t know how to work the gun because of our age. “Something’s wrong,” I said. “It’s jammed.”

He answered something close to the following: “It must be some old mechanism us youngins don’t know how to work.

We young folks don’t know about these things.”

He took it to the manager and I heard some banging and noises in the back room. It took some time but they finally did release the dummy round — with plain old elbow grease.

Assuming “us young people” knew nothing about guns put me off as a consumer and gave me zero confidence in anything else the young man behind the counter had to say. So — don’t measure the knowledge level of customers by age or appearance, you might be surprised. By the same token, don’t underestimate the marketing power of video games and popular culture.