Gun store owners, how did you get started?

K

Kimio

New member
I am curious about what exactly goes into opening a firearms store.

Aside from the considerable amount of financial investment, what I've read makes it seem like a very difficult thing to do for the risks involved.

To my understanding, you must obtain an FFL, then there is the cost of purchasing the proper real estate (that is hopefully in a good location) on top of the painstaking task of ensuring that you maintain the proper documentation required by the BATFE and double, triple even quadruple check that the information is accurate (I've heard a few horror stories about ATF agents grilling stores for screwing such things up)

Then there are the issues of owning a range if you feel so inclined. What convinced you to take the plunge if I may ask? Was/is it difficult to stay competitive with all the competition from online websites and such?
 
I don't own a gun store, nor have I ever been involved in the gun business itself, but, and this is sort of a more general business point, brick and mortar is an uphill battle these days. Have you considered other types of firearms businesses besides a brick and mortar store that requires an enormous real estate investment?
 
In the last three or four years Firearm Transfers have been a very good side line . It is not a full time thing and can be done on the cheap .
'
A number of local people I know have retired and done this as added income .
My FFL does 10 to 15 transfers a week at 15.00 a pop . He is OPEN evenings and weekends only and does the transfers in his shop .

At this time I know of 6 people that do this all less than 6 miles from my home .
 
Thanks to the Internet, it's possible to have a web store without an actual one.
There's many retailers that attract customers to their web site and when a sale occurs, the products get shipped from a stocking warehouse, directly to the buyer.
It might not be possible with guns, but all the other things shooters buy could be sold this way.
So, there's no need to have the overhead and inventory of a walk-in retail store.
And maybe do it with guns, too, with arrangements with distributors, ala Gallery of Guns.
Just a thought.
 
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