Private gun-sellers who work the gun show circuit are lamenting the election of President Donald Trump as sales have plummeted now that President Barack Obama is no longer in office.
Reporting from the Tanner Gun Show, which has been a popular attraction in Denver since 1964, the Denver Post reports lackluster attendance and sellers walking away with less than 50 percent of the sales that they enjoyed when buyers scooped up weapons out of fears that the Obama administration might restrict gun sales.
According to Outside, handgun sales increased by 287 percent, and rifle and shotgun sales increased 166 percent, during Obama's tenure -- but those day are over reports the Post. As Fortune reported in September, after the 2016 presidential election American Outdoor Brands (formerly Smith & Wesson) reported a 40 percent decrease for their second fiscal quarter in what has been called the "Trump slump" within the industry.
The Post reports that the, despite the downturn, the Tanner show does better than many other shows seeing a drop in attendance, but with Obama gone and the increased incidence of mass shootings -- including the October assault in Las Vegas that claimed 58 lives and left 851 injured -- weapon sales have declined precipitously.
Sales and attendance were reported to be down at two-day Tanner show -- with organizers refusing to release attendee numbers, saying "We don’t do press," -- and one seller admitted he only sold about half of what he normally does during the weekend event.
“I don’t think it is entirely Donald Trump’s fault that the sales are down,”Osprey Global seller Kyle Hoffman stated as he packed up. “But that’s definitely a factor, that the sense of urgency is down.”
Gun sales are “a lot less than it used to be in the Obama days,” agreed Nick Nitu, owner of Denver-based Performance Optics.
You can read the whole report here.
