When gunmakers and dealers gather this week in Las Vegas for the industry's largest annual conference, they will be grappling with slumping sales and a shift in politics that many didn't envision two years ago when gun-friendly Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Congress took office.
Some of the top priorities for the industry — expanding the reach of concealed carry permits and easing restrictions on so-called "silencers" — remain in limbo, and prospects for expanding gun rights are nil for the foreseeable future.
Instead, fueled by the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the federal government banned bump stocks and newly in-charge U.S. House Democrats introduced legislation that would require background checks for virtually every firearm sale, regardless of whether it's from a gun dealer or a private sale.
Gary Ramey, owner of Georgian gunmaker Honor Defense, says the mood at last year's SHOT Show, which stands for Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, was subdued. He's expecting the same this year.
"There was no one to beat up. You didn't have President Obama to put up in PowerPoint and say 'He's the best gun salesman, look what he's doing to our country,'" he said. "Numbers are down, you can't deny it", he added.
Robert J. Spitzer, chairman of political science at the State University of New York at Cortland and a longtime watcher of gun issues, said that not only have shifting politics made it difficult for the gun industry to gain ground but high-profile mass shootings — like the Las Vegas shooting that happened just miles from where the SHOT Show will be held and the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting — also cast a pall.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation's SHOT Show has been held annually for more than four decades. This year more than 60,000 will attend the event that runs Tuesday through Friday — from gun dealers and manufacturers to companies that cater to law enforcement.
Last year's show in Las Vegas was held just months after a gunman killed 58 people and injured hundreds at an outdoor music festival. The massacre was carried out by a gunman armed with bump stocks, which allow the long guns to mimic fully automatic weapons. Organisers last year restricted media access to trade journalists. This year's show will again allow reporters from mainstream media to attend.
Trump's campaign was bolstered by about USD30 million from the National Rifle Association and when he took office, the industry had hoped that a host of gun rights would be enacted. The Trump administration quickly nixed an Obama-imposed rule that made it more difficult for some disabled people to purchase and possess firearms.
Gun-control advocates are rejoicing in the gun industry's misfortunes of late and chalking it up to not just shifting attitudes among Americans but a shift in elected political leaders.
