In January, gun company leaders gathered in Las Vegas for their annual conference during a period of depressed revenues and fear for the future of the industry. The Associated Press reported industry leaders were voicing concerns about pending legislation to restrict gun rights and how public pressure was hurting sales.
Less than two months later, those industry concerns are gone.
Sales at gun and ammunition stores across the nation surged in the past weeks as entire states declared emergencies, companies shut down and grocery store shelves went bare over fears about the novel coronavirus and COVID-19. Throughout Chattanooga, stores are selling out of handguns. Multiple stores reported being unable to keep 9 mm ammunition on the shelf. People were literally taking numbers for the next shipment.
David Smith, owner of Dave’s Shooting Supply in Red Bank, said his business got busier every day last week. The store was quickly breaking one-day sales records, including around 2,000 rounds of ammunition on Tuesday, he said. The store limited people at first to two 50-round bags of ammunition, then dropped the limit to one bag per person, Smith said. An inventory of ammunition that would have otherwise lasted a month was moving in a day.
By Saturday, there was a line waiting at the door when the store opened.