Thread: Small Retailers Struggling/Under attack

I've been talking to a few small firearms retailers lately. Holey Moley, I didn't realise the extent of the struggle of getting any services from other businesses! Apparently it is almost impossible to get business finance as almost all lenders wont lend to any sort of "gun store". This makes it near impossible to sell a firearms related business as no one can get finance to buy it (hence the demise of Shooters Supplies). Also insurance is very hard to get for the same reasons, freight companies are refusing to let firearms retailers open new accounts in some cases. I also just heard that Gunworks have had their credit card account cancelled by Visa because the sell guns! They could only take eftpos today.

So basically unless you are extremely rich and/or very well connected its near impossible to start a new/buy a gun store nowadays.

Additionally, they are really struggling with the registry paranoia and people no longer buying or selling firearms. I've also been told by a good source that the buying of ammo is also soon to become a triggering event? Not sure of the details there, maybe someone knows more details of this?

Look I understand the registry paranoia to some extent, but at the end of the day the authorities already have the address and licence details (endorsements etc) of every license holder. If they happened to have a leak this is already a significant risk for burglaries etc but this is what it is and it is how it has always been. Information on what firearms you have seems only a small additional risk on top of this already large risk.

The reality is, the registry is quite unlikely to go away. You will probably be forced to register anyway and in the mean time we would have lost the remaining small retailers that are just hanging on currently. Also unless you have a shit tonne of ammo or you hand-load, ammo may be set to become a triggering event too (still not sure on the details of that). All that will be left is GC and H&F and we can all enjoy the associated price hikes! There surely wont be any more small retailers signing up for this punishment!

I love the small retailers, the honest prices, the stocking of a weird variety of things and a friendly face for a yarn from someone who is generally not trying to shaft you. It would be such a tragedy to see them go.