WHEELING - Barack Obama's win in the November presidential election boosted sales for Shooters Inc., said owner Bill Monahan. But Monahan now has a problem - he's having troubling restocking his shelves.
Gun sales at several local businesses have increased since Obama was elected. Monahan said Wednesday that sales surged at his Bridgeport-area business following Obama's win, as gun enthusiasts who fear Congress and the incoming administration will limit gun ownership flooded U.S. gunshops and cleared the shelves with purchases. Now, Monahan said he's short on inventory, and the shelves aren't being replenished quickly enough to suit his needs.
"You can see mirrors in here where the guns used to be," Monahan said. Sales "went through the roof of every gunshop in the land. ... But the pipelines are dry."
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Photo by Scott McCloskey
Bill Monahan, owner of the Shooters store located near Bridgeport, displays one of many rifles for sale at his business.
Monahan said, following the election, the hottest items in gunshops were semi-automatic weapons and handguns. He said, however, that demand exceeded supply by such a great margin he is having trouble restocking his shelves.
"You can't sell from an empty apple cart," Monahan said. Supplies "are dribbling in, though ever so slowly. They sucked it dry - without a doubt. No one has the answer."
Monahan said there are a number of reasons for the spike in guns sales, and those reasons all relate to gun buyers' fears about the Obama administration. He said some gun owners purchased certain weapons believing they will be outlawed after Obama takes office.
Anthony Borkoski is the owner of Hidden Valley Outdoors in St. Clairsville, and he said his gun sales are up about 50 percent since Obama's election.
Like Monahan, Borkoski said he has had at least some trouble in restocking his shelves, and his customers also were concerned with bans and restrictions the Obama administration may hope to implement.
Borkoski said he believes gun issues should not top Obama's list of priorities. He said Obama's election initially was good for business, but he has concerns for the future.
"In the short term, it's been excellent," Borkoski said. "The long term is not looking too promising. It may just slow business down if he bans automatics and high-capacity (weapons). ... I think he has a lot more problems to worry about than guns."
Monahan said others are buying weapons as investments. The business owner said those gun buyers believe there will be a decreasing supply of certain firearms and an increasing demand. Therefore, those weapons can later be sold at a great profit.
Like his customers, Monahan believes there will be tighter gun restrictions or even the banning of certain weapons when Obama takes office. He said he is sure of it.
"I'd be willing to bet you my house against 50 bucks," Monahan said.
He believes semi-automatic guns that have roots in the military will soon face tighter restrictions.
"You can look forward to them curtailing the import of them, semi-automatics and magazine capacities," he said.
Gary Littleton, the manager of the Outdoor Store in Wheeling, said there has not been a spike in sales at that business since the election. He noted, though, that there was a spike in gun sales for this year's hunting season.