Fallout From Attempted
Assassination: Demand Shift Coming?

I’m in my mid 30s, and I’ve already experienced a growing number of moments where I’ll never forget where I was or what I was doing when seismic news struck. The afternoon of July 13 will be one of those days. I received the news of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump via text message from a family thread, very different from how news was disseminated March 30, 1981, the last time a president was shot.

By the absolute smallest of margins — inches, the slight turn of a head at the exact moment — this article has a significantly different tone. Hopefully, the shift from frenzied, angry rhetoric to calls for unity on both sides of the aisle with persist.

In the wake of the attempted assassination, I reached out to a group of dealers, who shared their first impressions of how the consumer market will respond.

Initial Impact

By and large, the dealers interviewed here expect there to be a nominal impact on the market, with the caveat the attempted assassination could result in a renewed push from the anti-gun movement.

At Ace Sporting Goods, in Washington, Pa. — located roughly 60 miles from Butler — Owner/General Manager Ben Romanoff noted a “slight uptick” in sales of ARs and 5.56 ammunition in the days following the attempted assassination.

“The market is still soft, and is a concern of ours,” he added.

Jacquelyn Clark, co-owner of Bristlecone Shooting, Training & Retail Center in Lakewood, Colo., has likewise observed little-to-no impact at her store.

“It’s too early to tell what this past weekend’s events will do — if anything — to the firearms market,” she said. “We don’t see as much movement as we used to with political and violent events, although this one is surely unique. We’ve stopped trying to predict with any accuracy what events in the news media will do to our shop, and now have more of a healthy curiosity about the effects — we always track them but we haven’t found any reliable patterns in the recent past.”

Any Panic Buying?

Kyle Barrett, who owns America Fidelis Guns & Ammo in Buckeye, Ariz., and Rim Country Guns, Payson, Ariz., says sales were “average” at his two stores.

“At first smack, any political news about extremism or assassinations seems guaranteed to spur panic buying in the gun industry. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t getting text messages on Saturday night and Sunday from our employees and distributor sales reps along those lines,” he said. “Monday sales were about average, and while President Trump was the talk of the town, I can’t say for sure any of our sales were panic driven.”

“We have not seen any indication based on our online sales there is any panic buying going on,” added Edward Pepper, CEO and owner of Osage County Guns in Wright City, Mo. “I think if there would have been a different outcome from the attempted assassination, you would see a run on guns that would have eclipsed the buying frenzy that followed Sandy Hook.”

Political Threats Looming

Jeremy Ball, president and owner of Sharp Shooting Indoor Range & Gun Shop in Spokane, Wash., predicts this attack will open the door for further calls to restrict gun ownership.

“I’m 40 years old, and this is the first time a president has ever been injured from an assassination attempt in my lifetime,” he said. “The public will likely react with firearms purchases since it didn’t take the disarmament industrial complex more than a few minutes to call for banning firearms.”

He continued, “For better or worse this industry will be impacted, and I believe it won’t take long before we see courts cite this attempt in justification for upholding so-called assault weapons bans and other restrictions on Americans. We will lose freedoms because one person’s actions, which is detrimental to this industry and country.”

Alex Hague, co-owner of Vandalia Range and Armory, with a location in Vandalia, Ohio, and New Castle, Ind., stated the attempted assassination served as a wake-up call to defense-focused customers.

“[The assassination attempt] is unfortunate and disturbing, however it’s also a reminder of how important it is to have the ability to protect yourself and family,” he said.

Making Sense Of The Market

Although it seems the events of July 13 have not played a significant role in demand, there is growing concern from dealers that sales are not where they once were during previous election cycles.

“Consumers are fighting an uphill battle against inflation, lack of confidence in the market, and smaller tax returns, so it’s probably safe to say that if the attempted assassination will bump up sales a little bit, it won’t help quite as much as it would have four months ago,” Barrett said.

“This past weekend certainly points to the craziness of our world these days. What this does for our market — seems like it’s anyone’s guess right now,” Clark concluded.

Dealers — we invite you to weigh in, contact the Shooting Industry team anytime: editor@shootingindustry.com.