Local gun shops keep disappearing

[Swamp ash]

Hard to believe how quickly these come and go.

I just talked to my local folks for a transfer and you guessed it - they are closing shop.

In the last 4 years I have seen at least 5 new shops I have used appear and then vanish.

[KnightSchneider]

The brick and mortar retail shop is a tough market...the Internet is killing them.

It's such a low margin industry...throw in all the headaches and pitfalls of licensing and dealing with the Feds......it's no wonder people throw in the towel.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

The brick and mortar retail shop is a tough market...the Internet is killing them.

It's such a low margin industry...throw in all the headaches and pitfalls of licensing and dealing with the Feds......it's no wonder people throw in the towel.

Well a little bit yes and a little bit no. Depends on the state and depends on the shop and how aggressively they market themselves. The same can be said for ANY business these days. I've seen some restaurants that I thought were fantastic and seemed busy fall by the wayside pretty quickly just the same as gun shops. They open and have some specials and great deals then go full bore with the stick it to em pricing. There are a couple gun shops I've seen not last due to that business model here in Ohio and there are couple who have marketed themselves aggressively and maintained better than competitive pricing and they are expanding and flourishing. I got an email a week ago from a local family owned sporting goods shop that has been around since the early 60's and they are closing. The father can no longer work and the son is greedy so not hard to see where it went south. Another outfit that started as a family business 34 years ago now has 6 locations because they maintain good stock,good and competitive pricing and generally good customer service.

[Arko]

Of course they do, it's all part of their plan. The American public I'm sorry to say is so completely stupid. A Clowns In America official once said publicly that they'd know they had succeeded when everything the American public believes is a lie. Well guess what, I believe they have indeed succeeded. I believe Ben Franklin said that anyone who would trade any of their  Liberty's for a false sense of security deserve neither security nor  liberty. Well guess what, I believe there many undeserving among us deserve.
  I always try to buy locally when my funds, and patience permit. Yes they're always a little more expensive and dont always have what I want but they can usually get it eventually. 
  If this bothers you, LGSs disappearing, do your best to find the one you like most and support them.

[Flip18]

Hmmmmm. Come to Illinois. Laws that go full steam next year almost guarantee the small shops go away. And that was by design.

[recoilguy]

Of course they do, it's all part of their plan. The American public I'm sorry to say is so completely stupid. A Clowns In America official once said publicly that they'd know they had succeeded when everything the American public believes is a lie. Well guess what, I believe they have indeed succeeded. I believe Ben Franklin said that anyone who would trade any of their  Liberty's for a false sense of security deserve neither security nor  liberty. Well guess what, I believe there many undeserving among us deserve.
  I always try to buy locally when my funds, and patience permit. Yes they're always a little more expensive and dont always have what I want but they can usually get it eventually. 
  If this bothers you, LGSs disappearing, do your best to find the one you like most and support them.

Right on!!!

My pet peeve....go to the store, hold it get the right one. go home go online buy it. have it sent to the guy who let you hold it first, then ask the guy who let you hold it to do the ATF paper and register it for 20 bucks.

One of my buddies used to own a bow shop. If you bought a bow from hi he would tune it and set it up free of charge. If you bought it elsewhere from competition and he didn't handle that brand he charged 50 bucks. Buy it on line.....100 bucks.   Everyone whined about what an a hole he was. They now buy their bows online and drive for 60 miles to pay 75 bucks to get work done and he welds trailers together, has insurance and hunts with me instead of being on his store all season because he hated to hear all the whinning. he isn't doing what he thought he would love to do. But he gets to hunt all year and still tweaks my bows for me when they need TLC.  He never charges me but I always pay him because I don't know how to do what he does and I value it a lot!!!

I hate LGS closing. The internet is not at fault the typer is.

RCG

[WestTexan]

I’m out in the rocks and sticks of West Texas, local guns stores are 80 and 120 mile drives and oilfield prices. One of the stores has or did have a few CZs but 880 bucks for a SP 01 tactical was a bit much. Last year I was looking at getting P01 and found one online and now my local gun store Is 260 miles East in San Antonio. I wound up getting to hold a ton of CZs 👍🏻 and walked out with a P01 Omega I’d been wanting for several years.

[RSR]

Local gun stores refuse to compete on pricing w/ the internet AND a lot of times you effectively have a version of The Simpson's "comic book guy" running them.  Not a good look.

The most successful local gun stores I've seen do the following:
1) sell inventory online, including used trade guns on gunbroker
2) offer competitive ffl prices and make many times their margins on firearm sales via ffl transfers each day
3) carry a decent inventory of accessories, etc, for the most common guns coming in as ffl transfers
4) offer training and classes, as well as other services like basic gun cleaning and repair and scope installation
5) present gun buying customers with options and trust those customers to make the best choice for them -- and offer very limited opinion unless it's asked for.

[armoredman]

I quit going to my LGS because of the prices. And the owner despises CZ, which, of course, is always a huge no-no. Even when I was receiving CZs there he would disparage them, but would never meet at the range to try one. Also, the little Napoleon kept bragging about the indoor range he was going to oen, but when he mentioned he would keep all the brass on the floor I said sorry, will never shoot there, since I am a reloader. They charged $25 per transfer. Rifles that online would be $500 were $600-700 there.
My NEW LGS is a pawn shop full of weirdness and fun, including my $5 Forster trimmer, ($115 value with pilot and collet for $5), and they charge a whopping $10 for a transfer. Family owned and nice people who don't charge the arm and leg because they know how it is. Funny thing, not long after the P-10C hit the market they somehow had 4 on the shelf...and wouldn't tell me how...

[Stojanovich]

My NEW LGS is a pawn shop full of weirdness and fun, including my $5 Forster trimmer, ($115 value with pilot and collet for $5), and they charge a whopping $10 for a transfer. Family owned and nice people who don't charge the arm and leg because they know how it is. Funny thing, not long after the P-10C hit the market they somehow had 4 on the shelf...and wouldn't tell me how...

I love those kinda places too but they are definitely hazardous to my wallet.  I deal with one locally on a regular basis and I never know what I'm going to walk outta there with: snowblowers, knives, vintage home stereo components (I love em) and speakers, etc.  Not many pawn shops still accept that kind of stuff but, the one I deal with locally does and I have gone home many a-time with things I hadn't planned on buying.  My 6.5" S&W Model 29-2 and 6" Colt King Cobra also came from there.

I'm lucky to have a small LGS for new gun purchases.  It's owned by the treasurer of my club and he charges members only $20 max for regulated firearm transfers.  The other LGS's in my area can go pound sand.  Between their bad prices, bad attitudes and 2019 being a virtual buyers market for new guns, I won't waste my time trying to deal with them.

[Earl Keese]

 My guy is content to do transfers and buy/sell/consign used guns. He tells me that the big online sellers sell guns for what he pays his distributor or very close to it. If I do the "hold here, buy online" thing, I do it at Cabelas or one of the other big box stores.
 He gives me some great deals on used guns, and I very rarely haggle price with him. If I do haggle, it's only on consignment guns that he didn't price.
 If I end up selling a gun I bought from him, I usually put it on consignment there so he can make a little then too- even if it goes on gunbroker. One time, I doubled my money on a Para 1911 LS Hunter he sold me, it was only fair to give him a cut. At this point, he's more than my local gun dealer. He's become a trusted friend and confidant. His health is declining, so I don't know how long he'll keep his store open. Every day he gets more frustrated with internet tire kickers and buddies trying to stack multiple guns/lowers on one 4473 . He used to do up to 6 lowers on one transfer for $20 until people started taking advantage. Now it's one s/n per form. Times change and not always for the better.
 

[double-d]

There are now two large local cities that have made laws adding a $25 additional tax on firearm purchases plus 5¢ tax per round of ammo.

Local LGS are packing up and calling it quits or moving to a friendlier city due to these additional "tariffs".  If they are already non-competitive price wise, this will simply drive them away. 
These city councils are both running "un-wanted/evil" businesses out of town AND are reaping a tax dollar influx from those that elect to pay these higher taxes.  A win-win in their eyes.

I don't shop local gun stores what so ever, they are of no value to me.  I won't patronize them (or any company)  just so they can keep the doors open for others, that is not my responsibility. 
All my shooting is done outdoors and repairs done by a local smith doing firearm only work from his home based business. 

YMMV

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

I prefer to deal locally and I flatly refuse to buy online. I need too see and hold the gun BEFORE it's ordered and reasonably know that I like and want it or I just won't buy it and this also saves the aggravation of having defects sent and having to be sent back which is a hassle for the FFL as well.
My local indoor range is also a high volume dealer and he gets me prices on some things that absolutely no one can touch online.

[mrcabinet]

The LGS by my work is an overpriced joke. MSRP on all new firearms and near-new pricing on used. Accessories are the same - $40 for a pound of red dot and $50 for 1k of primers? That just insults me. I even overheard the owner one time tell a new gun owner that she shouldn't practice with the defense ammo because it would just scare her.

On the other hand, the G&P a block away is the complete opposite. They have lightened my wallet many times for firearms, tools and electronics. All without any attitude or misinformed opinions. They'll order anything I want for 5% over cost and do the FFL for free if I buy it there, while the LGS would still charge extra for it.

[GoBlueCO1]

The only gun shop anywhere near my house was open for about 9 months and recently closed their doors. In my neck of the woods, it seems like the only shops that survive have a range and/or offer a slew of classes.