I work in the Lehi Gun Library, these are just my thoughts and I'm not speaking for my employer. I can't say what is going on in other Libraries but we're buying what we can in Lehi. We're trying to hire more Library help.
We are in a very strange market. I can say we are in the strangest gun market I've seen in 40 plus years of buying and selling firearms.
Sales are through the roof on most of the bread and butter everyday using guns with black guns, semi automatic pistols and short barreled shotguns leading the way. If a Glock or an AR hit the shelves they are snapped up in minutes. Our inventory is a lower than we would like both new and used. If you follow the news you know that NICS has been setting records for background checks since March. Late Winter, Spring and Summer are traditionally slow periods for gun stores. Normally stores let their inventories drop for that time period by not buying. Ouch, did that bit everyone in business. Of course who could have predicted COVID or continuing riots on the level we are seeing. I don't care where you shop firearms, ammo and reloading supplies inventories are pretty thin. It feels that people are preparing for war or at the very least completely worried about civil unrest.
Next, not many people are selling their guns these days unless they really need to generate cash. A lot of people laid off very literally got a raise with the $600 a week COVID help. Now that has run out we are seeing more used guns but still not at the levels of the past.
As we shotgun collectors know price are a tad depressed so many of are holding onto what we have. I think the same can be said for other types of gun collectors. I know as I look in the safe I don't have anything I dare sell. On some level I worry I might not be able to ever find another gun like what I have.
These market conditions make it tough on a used gun dealer.
The next problem is staffing. To a person in our Library we're not there trying to make a living on our wages. It is more of a wage to earn a bit of extra income and to play at what we love. Our Library is down staff wise. You really can't just hire a warm body to work in a Library. Most people with real gun collecting expertise aren't all that interested in a job making about as much as they would flipping burgers.
Then again maybe you do settle and hope to just hire a warm body. You would think that with today's unemployment that might be easy, nope. Hiring isn't just a problem for us. It cuts across the board for employers that are trying to find good people at the $10 to $15 an hour wage level.
Yes, we are living in strange time. Of course this is just my opinion.
Last edited by Bill Bates; 09-14-2020 at 05:17 PM..
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