Gun Sales Drop in the US, But Why?

 

Almost 60,000 members of the gun industry are meeting this week in the U.S. city of Las Vegas, Nevada. They are gathering¹ for the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show – or, as it is commonly called, the SHOT show.

The yearly event brings together gun manufactures, dealers², law enforcement and military professionals. They share information on the latest products, technology and tools in the gun industry. Products from more than 1,700 companies are displayed over 20 kilometers.

The show is huge. Yet, the gun industry has recently seen a fall in gun sales and a decrease in the possibility that gun rights will be expanded.

The changes come even after U.S. President Donald Trump³ took office in 2017. In his first weeks as president, Trump reversed a rule by the former president that had made it difficult for some people with disabilities to buy a gun.

But some of the other policies the gun industry seeks have not advanced under Trump. These policies include easing people’s ability to carry some guns secretly and making the sound of gun fire quieter.

The Trump government also recently banned bump stocks -- devices that permit weapons to fire ammunition⁴ quickly. Bump stocks were used in the mass shooting of 58 people at an outdoor music festival in 2017 in Las Vegas, near where the SHOT show is held.

It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Changing politics

Gun industry watchers say the Las Vegas shooting is one reason that gun rights are not expanding. It was soon followed by a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed. These events brought the issue of guns to the nation’s attention again.

Robert J. Spitzer is chairman of political science at the State University of New York at Cortland. He says that after the Parkland shooting, efforts to expand gun rights were frozen.

In addition, voters recently elected a number of lawmakers to the House of Representatives who want to increase restrictions⁵ on guns. House Democrats⁶ recently introduced legislation to sharply expand background checks. In other words, officials would examine the criminal and financial records of almost anyone who wants to buy a gun.

Why are gun sales down?

These political changes come as gun sales are dropping, too. But those declines are more expected. Gun sales often drop when the president is believed to be gun-friendly. The Associated Press called it a “Trump slump⁷.”

Gary Ramsey is attending this year’s SHOT show. He is the owner of Honor Defense⁸, a gun manufacturing business. He told the Associated Press the show has become quieter than it was when Barack Obama was president. In Obama’s last year in office, background checks reached an all-time high.

“There was no one to beat up. You didn't have President Obama to put up in PowerPoint (presentations) and say …‘look what he's doing to our country,’” he said.

“Numbers are down,” Ramsey added. “You can't deny it.”

John Feinblatt is president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a group that supports limits on the gun industry. He agrees that the decline in gun sales is because Obama is no longer president, and he is not a threat to those who want more freedom around guns.

But Joe Bartozzi, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, says no single reason explains the changes in gun sales. He told the Associated Press that, during his 30 years in the industry, he has seen sales rise and fall.

He also notes that while many lawmakers in the House of Representatives are seeking more gun restrictions, many lawmakers in the Senate are not. The House and Senate must work together to pass any legislation.

Bartozzi says his group is seeking gun measures that already have some policy support. He would like to increase gun safety programs and places to practice shooting on public lands. The hope is that increasing the number of shooting ranges will make more people want to become hunters.

I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

display – v. to put something where people can see it

beat up – v. to hit something or someone repeatedly

slump - n. a sudden decrease in prices, value, amount, etc.

practice - v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

3 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。

4 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

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 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。