It is a fact of life that following a tragedy like the Dayton shooting, there is a predictable rise in firearms sales and background checks. Some of these increased sales accompany anti-gun rhetoric and calls to ban or even seize certain types of common sporting firearms. Other sales come from people who purchase self defense guns as they realize the primary responsibility for their safety lies with themselves.
With the Democratic presidential candidates openly discussing gun confiscation and bans, and a rise in social unrest, it is only natural that Americans from all walks of life take responsibility for their own protection. In order to protect their family, they purchase guns while they know they are still available.
Meanwhile, FFL dealers are busy handling the increased sales and high traffic. On top this, states that prohibit private party sales between law abiding gun owners have to deal with the additional transfers. So how is an FFL dealer to handle this sudden surge, and what are the best ways to deal with increased demand for guns, transfers and other orders?
Broadly speaking, there are three kinds of transfers you might be doing:
The first two require extra work in the form of storage and inventory management. In most states, private party sales do not require extra paperwork.
If you are seeing an uptick in retail and online transfers, you’ll want to make sure your inventory management and records keeping is streamlined and efficient. Now is a good time to verify how you track communication and your order process. Is it a hodgepodge of notes by your phone along with unorganized emails? Do you use spreadsheets or tracking programs, or something else entirely?
If you find yourself swamped and disorganized, it is a good sign that your systems need to be optimized for improvement. If not, then you are on track!
With an increase in sales and transfers comes an increase in traffic. Not all people are ready to buy a gun or even know if they want to own one. The threat of a “gun ban” or the need for self protection draws a lot of curious people who have never own a gun into a gun shop.
This is a great opportunity to convert sales and also raise awareness of gun rights. We absolutely do not endorse using tragedy as a marketing talking point – anti-gunners do plenty of that. But an organic increase in interest in guns cannot be ignored. This puts you in a good position to help new and potentially new gun owners not only connect with the right gun for them, but also with training and rights advocacy groups.
Consider having prominent displays for local training classes, particularly those for women, as well as a display for your local gun rights organization. Guide prospective customers to these materials as part of their visit.
If you are having increased traffic, you may want to temporarily adjust your hours to accommodate them.
If you are experiencing a boost in online sales transfers, now is a great time to sell additional accessories and ammo. Without the markup on a gun in your inventory, transfers can lead to reduced profits, but this can be readily made up if you can personalize their experience. Make sure you have a good selection of common and popular ammo, and perhaps some market-leading optics. Don’t forget that magazines, slings and cases are all easily sold at this stage, and they carry good margins!
During surges in gun buying, local media may reach out to area gun shops for interviews or sound bites. Sometimes they may have an agenda or anti-gun bias, or the interview could be perfectly reasonable. Now is an important time to be careful how you present yourself and the gun owning community. Offensive or harsh statements can only be harmful, as are bombastic statements and bravado.
Communicate the simple facts that in times of public crisis and the threat of anti-gun infringement on constitutional rights, that many Americans from all walks of life seek to purchase guns – many for the first time. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the media, don’t. Instead, refer them to a local gun rights organization.
The fastest and best way to handle a surge in sales and background checks is by digitizing your 4473’s and Acquisition and Disposition (A&D) records. The ATF allows digitally submitted 4473’s, and many states also have digital filing available with their own background check forms.
Our friends at FastBound are the leading experts in digital record keeping for FFL holders. Some of the key advantages of digitizing your 4473’s and A&D books are:
No matter the reason for surges in background checks, such as threatened legislation, hunting season or holiday purchases, many FFL holders experience difficulties when dealing with sudden swings in business. Simple best practices like maintaining logical records and adjusting business and staff hours to accommodate busy times, all help to drive sales. Be sure you are offering a full service sales experience with ammo and accessories, and digitizing your record keeping to reduce operating expenses and compliance errors.
Remember, FFL123 customers get personalized hands-on support from our staff of industry insiders and experts, even after you get your FFL. If you have questions about best practices or how to improve your record keeping, we are here to help!
