Business Going Great Guns According To Sales Figures

The 1995 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas earlier this year drew nearly 30,000 industry representatives, a growth of more than 15 percent over last year. It was the largest SHOT Show since it was founded in 1979.

However, firearms manufacturers were so preoccupied with filling existing orders in 1994 that few new products were introduced this year.

“More than half of the manufacturers, distributors and retailers we polled had the best year in their company’s history in 1994,” said Bob Delfay, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Delfay said that anticipation of increasingly stringent gun control laws led to panic-buying last year.

“Obviously it’s going to level out, it can’t continue at this level, but everyone believes it’s going to level out at a much higher level than it was before,” said Delfay.

Dave Petzal, executive director for Field & Stream magazine, said, “The industry should erect a statue of Bill Clinton. He’s sold more guns than anyone since the 1950s.”

, DataTimes