Gun Sales Slump Since Trump’s Election

 

Gun store owners say they are selling fewer guns since the 2016 presidential election. Some are calling the drop a “Trump¹ slump².”

Sales of guns slowed after Donald Trump was elected president, ending fears that a Democratic president would strengthen guns laws.

That trend has continued in recent weeks.

Lawmakers in Congress and some business leaders are discussing new gun laws after a gunman killed 17 people at a Florida high school on February 14.

In past years, mass killings⁴ by gunmen have caused an increase in gun sales. Observers think this could be because people were worried about new government restrictions⁵ on gun ownership. But things are different after the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“The day after the election, it’s just like somebody turned a faucet⁶ off,” said David Dobransky. The 67-year-old owns Dobransky Firearms, a small gun shop in North Canton, Ohio.

Since the election, sales there have been cut in half. Nothing the president or Congress has done or said following the Florida shooting has helped business.

Gun owners believe that Trump will not increase restrictions, gun show owners say. That is the case even with the conflicting messages Trump has sent about gun laws in recent weeks.

Trump has described himself as a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association, or NRA. But, Trump criticized lawmakers last week for being too fearful of the gun rights group to take action. He also announced support for positions that the NRA opposes, such as banning gun sales to people under 21.

Soon afterward⁷, Trump met with NRA officials and tweeted they had a “Good (Great) meeting.”

The NRA’s executive director, tweeting about the same meeting, said Trump and Vice⁸ President Mike Pence “don’t want gun control.”

At Rapid-Fire Firearms in Rapid City, South Dakota, business is “just like normal,” said owner Robert Akers. He said there was no panic buying that seemed to take place under President Barack Obama.

American Outdoor Brands says its sales are down. The company, which owns gun maker³ Smith & Wesson, told investors⁹ in a conference call recently that revenue fell by one-third over the past three months. That amount is similar to the overall drop since Trump was elected, the Associated Press reports.

Stock prices for gun sellers Sturm Ruger and American Outdoor Brands also have fallen since Trump was elected. The companies have mostly reported poor sales in recent months.

Four large retailers¹¹ announced new restrictions on their gun sales last week. Kroger, Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L. Bean and Walmart said that they will no longer sell guns to anyone under the age of 21.

Also, outdoor retailer¹⁰ REI says it is ending future orders of some popular product brands. The company says it is doing so because the parent company that makes the brands also makes assault-style rifles.

Over the past 30 years, U.S. gun production has tripled. Nine million guns were produced in 2015, compared with 3 million in 1986. Those numbers come from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a government agency.

The U.S. also imports millions of guns every year.

At Duke’s Sport Shop in New Castle, Pennsylvania, gun sales have risen in recent days. But store owner Wes Morosky said that is because of yearly tax refund¹² checks.

The family-owned business started by Morosky’s father, Duke, has about 2,000 firearms available at any one time, including the AR-15. That is the assault-style rifle used in the Florida shooting. It is the subject of a new debate about a gun bans.

Morosky said the store had a hard time keeping the guns in stock after deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School at in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. He said there were fears that the Obama administration would ban assault rifles.

“Generally, people are still comfortable with the government that’s intact right now,” Morosky said.

I'm Jonathan Evans. And I'm Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

Slump – n. a sudden decrease in prices, value, amount, etc.

Trend – n. a general direction of change

Faucet – n. a device that is used to control the flow of water from a pipe

Panic – n. a state or feeling of extreme fear that makes someone unable to act or think normally

Revenue – n. money that is made by or paid to a business or an organization

Retailer – n. a person or business that sells things directly to customers for their own use

Assault-style rifle – n. an automatic or semi-automatic gun

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 faucet   

n.水龙头

参考例句：

• The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
• She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头，把手擦干。

7 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

11 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

12 refund   

v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款

参考例句：

• They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
• We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。