Statistics/concern/opportunity

[martywinston]

As I mention elsewhere, I'm a reporter - I've been one for close to half a century (I started very young) and only in the past few months have my interests been drawn to guns - specifically (because of outside factors that raised a suspicion that I went on to confirm) to guns being bought for home protection.

I collected a number of anecdotal reports, but I got some harder numbers through NSSF: gun ownership spiked in 2009 and has continued to grow since. (This is true across all eligible age groups but the strongest buying segment is age 50+ - Boomers).

There seems to also be a rise in CCW issuance, but it's not nearly as dramatic.

While the sales of weapons are up dramatically, the sales of ammunition, while up, are not up nearly as much. I have not yet been able to gather more than anecdotal information about sales of hearing protection or eye protection, but they seem to lag. I have only anecdotal information about range usage; it, too, seems to lag.

I also determined that the initial purchase for a new owner tends to include 3-4 items: the gun, some ammo, a cleaning kit and sometimes a holster.

Conclusions may be premature, but suspicions are starting points for investigations, and here's what I suspect is happening.

A lot of new home protection gun owners are bringing them home and putting them away. They are not learning about them. They are not practicing with them.

I think there is an opportunity here. I think the industry can get out there with some kind of "please practice" theme and benefit from more active participation by these new owners both at ranges and at stores.

And I think that indoor ranges are going to be a growth industry for the next 10 years or so. (There are no such ranges in this county at the moment; one is opening by next summer).

Maybe some of you can suggest something a little more inviting than "please practice" as a theme.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Maybe some of you can suggest something a little more inviting than "please practice" as a theme.

Free training.

I really wish my post did not have to be 15 words long.

 

[Everclear]

I have to agree with NavyLCDR.
Also; I love to practice but there is not a free place around here. I have no place out in the country available. I own my own hearing/eye protection but still; by the time I buy ammo, range time, & target I have around $25.00 in expenses for 1/2 hour of shooting. & That is using only one target. I just cannot afford to practice as much as I would like.

 

[hudstone]

Obama

Obama was the best gun salesman ever.

 

[martywinston]

FWIW, if you can't get out to practice, check out Laser-Ammo - a gizmo goes into the chamber of your semi-automatic and every time the firing pin hits it, a red dot briefly flashes where the bullet would have hit. It gives you more feedback than dry fire and the occasional battery replacement costs less thn ammo.

 

[fudo]

A free shooting lesson for first time buyers.

 

[NCIC105]

We have a DNR range close to us and it is free to the public. They have a range master. It is amazing how busy this place is. The range master is very helpful to new gun owners. It would be nice if more of these were set up around the country to assist new owners.

 

[VERDAD Investigations]

The democratic political climate DID make many rush to get a weapon before they may be successful in taking our rights away! It is no suprise to any of us in the firearms industry the numbers you quoted.

There are some trainers that will do small introduction classes to get students interested for free, BUT, you afforded a weapon, the ammo, the gear. Instructors do this to make a living, and pass on the skills and knowledge they have gathered from many years in some cases of continuous education they paid money for, or blood for.

We at VERDAD for example do have a ladies gun brunch, free, where we mix ladies with permits along with interested ladies without permits...no ammo involved, just a touchy feely talk session to try to get women interested and realizing they too can possess, and get comfortable with a firearm. But gun owners, permitted or those in the states that don't require a permit to home possess should want to learn, and practice with that firearm if they really hope to defend property and family and life with it!

A campaign for increased training sounds great! All of us instructors are out here waiting and willing and wanting to get anyone with a firearm safe and comfortable with that weapon!

Be careful who you spend your money on when you choose a training class. What is your intent, is it to truy protect yourself and family, or get better at target competition shooting? What is the street cred of the trainer? What is his credentials? There are alot of firearms trainers that have taken no certification courses, aren't sanctioned by any organization, but have done a good marketing campaign.

Just like we have a budget for ammo/weapons, people need to budget for training, and trigger time.

 

[Deserteagle]

Even though you found that the range usage rates have not increased as much as gun ownership, it doesnt mean people arent training. I for one hate ranges and do my shooting elsewhere. As for the ammo not increasing as much as gun sales, its probably because not many people can afford to spend 20-100$ in one day's worth of shooting with a bad economy and unemployment rate close to 10%.

 

[Retired Grunt]

Check the sales of reloaders and the associated equip. I would think they are up substantially I know the last election got me reloading.

 

[jehutch201]

I bought a new handgun two weeks ago. The gun shop has an indoor range and gave me a voucher for thirty minutes free shooting time. They do that with ever handgun purchase. Pretty nice I thought. The indoor range stays packed all the time.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

Check the sales of reloaders and the associated equip. I would think they are up substantially I know the last election got me reloading.

.
I was just about to say the OP did not include sales of reloaders and accessories. They will be handy when ammo prices hits the roof.

 

[hotti]

I"d love to see mandated training, (or no licenses issued for driving, marriage, etc, no voting,no access to the courts, fire or police protection, no NUTHIN provided by other people's tax money). If you can't even be bothered to learn to defend yourself, why should you recieve ANY benefit from money taken from other people? Same applies to hand to hand, for those not handicapped, at least.