The US gun industry is struggling with good times. Firearm sales are soaring. Gun company stocks are way up, despite a market-wide January slump. But as gun makers, wholesalers, and retailers gather in Las Vegas for their annual industry convention, leading executives are striving to accentuate the negative.
"Our industry is being blamed and attacked and pilloried unfairly by politicians, media, and agenda-driven social engineers," Steve Sanetti, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the main gun business trade group, said Tuesday night in his annual "state of the industry" address to a large and supportive audience.
Why the disconnect-intense self-pity during a period of good fortune? The contradiction lies at the heart of a business that thrives on playing defense.
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• Gun sales hit record before restrictions
• 55,000 guns imported each year
The perceived threat of stiffer gun control laws historically drives buyers to the stores to stock up on firearms and ammunition. There was much talk Thursday at the Shooting, Hunting & Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show about the continuing "Obama surge." The phrase refers to a rise in sales tied to the perception that the president will implement tougher gun regulation, even though that hasn't come to pass.