Post SSE, Will Gun Stores Go Out of Business

[Nrai2020]

I think they ll find some other loop hole Sometime soon in the next year or two.. One of the LGS in my area said that 60% of their sales are through SSE and they were worried about next year.. Their CS sucks also so I don't feel too bad..

[EVGRambis]

IMO, the only people doing SSE are veteran gun owners and people who already own guns. New gun owners in CA, which grow bigger everyday, buy what they see on the shelf and/or in the display case.

Take a newb shooting folks!!

[Nrai2020]

There were gun stores before SSE ever became an option and they will continue to exist after. The challenge for them will be an ever shrinking roster of approved guns that they can sell in CA and no new ones to be added unless the microstamping legislature gets overturned.

Yes but it seems like there are way way more gun shops now compared to 2
Or 3 years ago..

[ShooterStymie]

There will be slow down in gun sales in CA for sure. We CA gun owners already spent too much this year ��

Yeah, I agree with this one. You've got a lot of frequent buyers falling into two categories. First, you have those who've maxed out their credit cards. Second, you've got those you may have plenty of cash left but bought everything they were interested in this year so there's nothing left they want to buy. Throw in some extra inventory created by folks trying to flip guns and sales for new guns at shops could definitely slow down for a while.

How well a shop has planned and taken advantage of the boom times will determine whether they survive the lean times. By and large, most gun shops are not the best capitalized businesses, and they aren't necessarily run with the best management techniques. Some could definitely go away.

[JeffSD]

For the majority of us who live in counties that will never allow us to carry, handguns might be considered a lower priority, especially with the dwindling selection thanks to the roster. The rifle selection, on the other hand, is great. I can get pretty much any modern sporting rifle I want, with the concession of a bullet button and a ten round magazine. The future of many Californian gun shops may be ARs, AKs, Mini-14s and Tavors.

There's a lot of money to be made in selling accessories. Maybe the focus will shift to rifles. That'd be ironic considering how much the state hates modern sporting rifles. Take away all the handguns and people will buy rifles and shotguns.

[MovedWest]

you do realize that most/all of those will be renewed by Kimber and the expiration date will be pushed back to 2016? just because the new requirements are in place for Microstamping doesn't mean that they can't be renewed.

If that actually happens, that's awesome. I know some manufacturers weren't renewing (Ruger, S&W) due to obstacles they considered preventative.

I'll just shut up and stop hijacking the thread now. Thanks.

[MrSam]

When SSE was not an option, did gun shops begin closing their doors?
The ones that could have survived even without SSE will likely remain open.

[brianm767]

I look ai it like this, up until recently, my favorite store "Alquist Arms" in Turlock did not do SSE.

And still on many days it was take a number and standing room only, couldn't even get them to answer the phone a lot of the time because Bobby and his crew were too busy helping buying customers, I drive 95 miles to do business there.

Great prices and customer service will keep a LGS in business as long as there's fire arms to sell, yes they'll be less of them, but they'll still have guns to sell.

We just need to get the roster thrown out as an infringement on our rights.

[MudCamper]

If you think that SSE gun sales are a significant portion of total sales, you are living in a CalGuns bubble. I would venture to say that SSE sales are less than 1% of total sales. They are a tiny anomaly.