http://www.modbee.com/metro/story/0,1113,206027,00.html
Gun shops fret about inventory
By STEVE ELLIOTT
BEE STAFF WRITER
(Published: Sunday, October 22, 2000)
Gary Boucher is a very worried businessman.
Boucher, owner of Gun Country in Modesto, is afraid that in a little more than two months, he may not have a product to sell.
On Jan. 1, all handguns sold in the state must have been certified as safe and appear on a state list for a dealer to sell them. Right now, out of the 500 or so makes and models of pistols made, 15 are on the list, all Rugers.
"I've never been more concerned with not surviving," Boucher said. "I opened my first gun shop 21 years ago, and it may be time to get out."
What worries Boucher and other gun sellers is that they have no control of their inventory. If a gun maker submits a gun to a state-certified lab for testing and the weapon is found safe and added to the list, dealers can sell it. If it isn't, it's off the shelves.
The new rules don't apply to rifles and shotguns. They also don't apply to sales between individuals, so only licensed dealers are affected.
And with the deadline about two months away, the dealers are starting to sweat.
The manufacturers, however, aren't about to let the lucrative California market get away, even if they do have to pay $200 per gun and submit three samples for testing to get a model certified.
"We're in the process of having guns tested," said Ken Jorgensen, director of marketing and communication for Smith & Wesson. "(California) is a major part of the market. Unless you had a product you didn't think would pass, you have to be there."
The safety tests include a 600-shot firing test and six drops onto a concrete pad from a height of a little more than 3 feet.
Boucher is also worried about the used-gun market, which he said makes up more than half of his business. He's not even sure what the rules will be concerning used guns, but thinks that if a new model is on the approved list he can sell a used version of it, as long as it's the same model.
"I think that anything manufactured after Jan. 1, 2001 should be subject to the new criteria," he said. "But it's unfair to apply it to guns made 20 years ago or 50 years ago."
The state Department of Justice is holding a meeting to discuss the new requirements Monday in Sacramento. Boucher said he plans to speak at the meeting, but doesn't think it'll do any good.
"I think the new law has nothing to do with handgun safety and everything to do with reducing the numbers being sold," he said. "I don't foresee a future here. I don't see things very rosy, and there's nothing I can do."
The full text of the new rules and the list of approved firearms is on the Department of Justice Web site at caag.state.ca.us/firearms.
Gun shops fret about inventory
By STEVE ELLIOTT
BEE STAFF WRITER
(Published: Sunday, October 22, 2000)
Gary Boucher is a very worried businessman.
Boucher, owner of Gun Country in Modesto, is afraid that in a little more than two months, he may not have a product to sell.
On Jan. 1, all handguns sold in the state must have been certified as safe and appear on a state list for a dealer to sell them. Right now, out of the 500 or so makes and models of pistols made, 15 are on the list, all Rugers.
"I've never been more concerned with not surviving," Boucher said. "I opened my first gun shop 21 years ago, and it may be time to get out."
What worries Boucher and other gun sellers is that they have no control of their inventory. If a gun maker submits a gun to a state-certified lab for testing and the weapon is found safe and added to the list, dealers can sell it. If it isn't, it's off the shelves.
The new rules don't apply to rifles and shotguns. They also don't apply to sales between individuals, so only licensed dealers are affected.
And with the deadline about two months away, the dealers are starting to sweat.
The manufacturers, however, aren't about to let the lucrative California market get away, even if they do have to pay $200 per gun and submit three samples for testing to get a model certified.
"We're in the process of having guns tested," said Ken Jorgensen, director of marketing and communication for Smith & Wesson. "(California) is a major part of the market. Unless you had a product you didn't think would pass, you have to be there."
The safety tests include a 600-shot firing test and six drops onto a concrete pad from a height of a little more than 3 feet.
Boucher is also worried about the used-gun market, which he said makes up more than half of his business. He's not even sure what the rules will be concerning used guns, but thinks that if a new model is on the approved list he can sell a used version of it, as long as it's the same model.
"I think that anything manufactured after Jan. 1, 2001 should be subject to the new criteria," he said. "But it's unfair to apply it to guns made 20 years ago or 50 years ago."
The state Department of Justice is holding a meeting to discuss the new requirements Monday in Sacramento. Boucher said he plans to speak at the meeting, but doesn't think it'll do any good.
"I think the new law has nothing to do with handgun safety and everything to do with reducing the numbers being sold," he said. "I don't foresee a future here. I don't see things very rosy, and there's nothing I can do."
The full text of the new rules and the list of approved firearms is on the Department of Justice Web site at caag.state.ca.us/firearms.