美国国家公共电台 NPR With Trump Win, Gun Sellers See Win — And Loss

With Trump 1 Win, Gun Sellers See Win — And Loss

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Across the United States, gun rights activists 3 worked hard to elect Donald Trump. Exit polling suggests he carried gun owners handily, and they're happy he won, mostly. As Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports, a President Trump brings both welcome relief and an immediate 4 problem for the gun industry.

FRANK MORRIS, BYLINE 5: It's no secret that Trump champions gun rights. And Larry Cavanaugh, a Kansan who happens to have two shotguns tucked under his arm, says this election means that he can breathe easier.

LARRY CAVANAUGH: This means that we're not going to be under siege for a few years. And it seems like it has been.

MORRIS: But the Obama years have actually been awesome 6 for the U.S. gun industry. It's roughly doubled in size, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This is a AR-15.

MORRIS: This brand new shop in an Overland Park, Kan., strip mall is part of the Obama-era gun industry success story. Brad Bissey, behind the counter, says Obama's executive order mandating 7 background checks on more gun sales and proposals to limit military-style weapons have fueled gun sales.

BRAD BISSEY: You're causing people that normally wouldn't buy a gun to come out and buy two or three. The owner here, Craig, he had sold three rifles to one individual just because of a possibility.

MORRIS: The possibility of a Clinton presidency 8.

CRAIG ANTOVONI: I'm Craig Antovoni, owner of Tactical Advantage.

MORRIS: Antovoni's shop has only been open a month, and customers have been spending big.

ANTOVONI: They were a little nervous thinking about Hillary getting in the office. And there's been a run on the guns and parts.

MORRIS: But the day after the election, those sales evaporated.

ANTOVONI: Today, everybody, I guess, was up late last night because traffic's been a little slow today, but...

MORRIS: Trump's surprise victory didn't just hurt gun store sales; it slammed gun company stocks. Two big manufacturers, Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger, saw their shares plummet 9 because the industry is losing a very potent 10 and enduring moneymaker.

DON HAIDER-MARKEL: The message is in fact that the government is going to come take your guns away.

MORRIS: And Professor Don Haider-Markel at the University of Kansas says that message made hoarding 11 guns seem like political defiance 12.

HAIDER-MARKEL: I think the NRA and conservative media in general have pushed the idea that your rights are really under threat, and not only do you need to exercise those rights by owning guns, but you should own as many guns as you can afford.

(SOUNDBITE OF GUNSHOTS)

MORRIS: At Centerfire Shooting Sports in Olathe, Kan., there's a cheery Christmas tree, fresh cookies and coffee for customers. This business is 4 years old, another part of the Obama-era gun industry expansion.

JEAN BASORE: We'd only been open a month, and then Sandy Hook happened. And we didn't know what to expect, and it was crazy.

MORRIS: Co-owner Jean Basore thinks a Clinton victory would have produced another spike 13 in sales. But she says Clinton's likely gun-control measures would have been bad for her industry long-term. Basore thinks the gun industry is turning a corner. About a quarter of her customers are new to guns, and many are women.

BASORE: So I don't think a fear-driven, momentary 14 surge in gun sales is what the industry needs as a whole, you know, for all businesses. I'm a small-business owner, and so I want a strong economy so people have that income to spend.

MORRIS: But an improved economy may not be enough to sustain growth in gun sales. With pro-gun Republicans solidly in charge in Washington, gun sellers may have to find a new threat, real or perceived, to motivate buyers. For NPR News, I'm Frank Morris in Kansas City.