{"id":69006,"date":"2018-03-13T21:32:30","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T02:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=69006"},"modified":"2018-03-13T21:32:30","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T02:32:30","slug":"gun-stores-see-rise-in-profits-amidst-post-parkland-gun-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gun-stores-see-rise-in-profits-amidst-post-parkland-gun-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Gun stores see rise in profits amidst post-Parkland gun legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chris Kwiecinski<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Sales in Illinois gun stores have risen in the past month, as gun owners fear their firearms will be confiscated or gun costs will rise due to potential legislative changes, gun-store owners said this week.<\/p>\n

The potential new laws stem from reaction to the Parkland shooting last month.<\/p>\n

According to Todd Vandermyde, executive director of Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, the first mention of stricter gun laws sets off a chain reaction that always seems to lead to panic among gun owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time the government moves to restrict firearms in a very brash or broad way, usually it sets off a small panic buying,\u201d Vandermyde said. \u201cIt generally spurs gun owners to stock up and make the purchases they were contemplating and had been putting off.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Vandermyde, a former NRA lobbyist who has overseen activity at gun stores since last November, said these recent spurts in business have been notable for some stores, with some enjoying record days.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome stores that I know are reporting that last Saturday they had the best Saturday they\u2019d seen in over 20 years,\u201d Vandermyde said. \u201cThere\u2019s a renewed interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also pointed to weekends as when guns stores have many of their most profitable days.<\/p>\n

Mandi Sano, president of The Gun Doctor, said business at the Roselle store has always been busy on the weekends, specifically on Saturdays.<\/p>\n

Vandermyde said high-profit weekends are usually expected, as The Gun Doctor, Maxon Shooters in Des Plaines and Red Dot Arms in Lake Villa also offer training classes that count toward a gun owner’s earning their concealed-carry license.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking to our local members and everything, everybody\u2019s reporting that they\u2019re having some peak periods over the weekends,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you have a flat market, prior to going into this, the only thing that\u2019s changed is the legislative action.\u201d<\/p>\n

These sales rises are a stark contrast to business after Donald Trump was elected president. Vandermyde said business stalled, as gun owners and customers did not feel threatened by the government, specifically Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe threat of Hillary Clinton and her presidency was gone, so things had slowed down,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019d seen the downturn in the sales market overall that was industry wide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The primary piece of legislation in question, HB 1469, was originally sponsored by State Rep. Dan Burke, D-Chicago, and has caught momentum among house committee Democrats in the wake of Parkland, as well as the shooting death of Chicago Police Cmdr. Paul Bauer.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the Illinois House of Representatives introduced a bill on January 31 that would ban gun magazines with 10 or more rounds.<\/p>\n

The Illinois House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on the bill on March 6, however the vote has been delayed.<\/p>\n

Vandermyde said he believes the vote will be put off until after the Illinois Primary elections on March 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s scared. Fear is always an emotion that takes over people.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mike Rioux, owner of Red Dot Arms, saying business in his store has been extremely hectic in the past week, said the recent legislative action has his customers afraid.<\/p>\n

He called his customers the \u201cgood guys,\u201d who are afraid their firearms will be taken away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s panic. Things are a little bit hectic for everybody,\u201d Rioux said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s scared. Fear is always an emotion that takes over people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sano, of The Gun Doctor, said fear of losing their guns plays a smaller part in her customers\u2019 buying more firearms, but that fear isn\u2019t pinned specifically to legislation.<\/p>\n

Instead, Sano said, there\u2019s an assumed price increase for firearms, in the event of gun bans, that drives gun owners to buy while prices are lower than what they anticipate.<\/p>\n

Along with banning high-capacity magazines, the bill also includes increasing the legal age for a person to purchase a gun from 18 to 21, and a 72-hour cooling period after purchasing an assault weapon.<\/p>\n

Rioux, however, said creating more laws would not matter, as Illinois residents could still purchase illegal magazines in neighboring states where they are legal, such as Wisconsin and Indiana.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t bring the balance of power to the rest of us,\u201d Rioux said. \u201cIt removes any balance of power to people who can help someone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chris Kwiecinski Medill Reports Sales in Illinois gun stores have risen in the past month, as gun owners fear their firearms will be confiscated or gun costs will rise due to potential legislative changes, gun-store owners said this week. The potential new laws stem from reaction to the Parkland shooting last month. According to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":455,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,4091,3987],"tags":[4097,4096,915,4095,1149,4098,4094],"class_list":["post-69006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-affairs","category-schoolshootings","category-winter-2018","tag-firearms","tag-gun-business","tag-gun-control","tag-gun-stores","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-illinois-house-of-representatives","tag-parkland"],"yoast_head":"\nGun stores see rise in profits amidst post-Parkland gun legislation - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gun-stores-see-rise-in-profits-amidst-post-parkland-gun-legislation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gun stores see rise in profits amidst post-Parkland gun legislation - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Chris Kwiecinski Medill Reports Sales in Illinois gun stores have risen in the past month, as gun owners fear their firearms will be confiscated or gun costs will rise due to potential legislative changes, gun-store owners said this week. 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