Gunning for Business: The Closure of Small Gun Shops in California
Well, folks, it seems like the only thing flying off the shelves in Fresno lately is the “Closed” sign of two gun stores! In what can only be described as the saddest magic trick since my last attempt at stand-up comedy, two local gun shops have shut their doors for good, citing California’s stringent firearm regulations and those pesky high taxes as the main culprits. It’s almost as if they were caught in a crossfire between a bad economy and a bureaucracy hell-bent on shooting down small businesses.
After 16 years of business, PRK Arms and South Gate Firearm Supply are now history. At this rate, the only thing left to do is host a wake for them—complete with “Booze and Bullets.” Ryan Farrell, owner of South Gate Firearm Supply, lamented, “It hurts.” But let’s be honest, Ryan; you’re not in the ‘feelings’ business, are you? This is about cash flow, and it seems the only thing cash flow is flushing down the toilet is the dream of running a mom-and-pop gun shop!
Taxes and Regulations: The Deadly Duo
Farrell estimates that a whopping 95% of his distress is due to those new regulations—talk about a regulatory round-up! Most recently, Assembly Bill 28 slapped an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition. You know, it’s almost poetic! Generate revenue for violence prevention while simultaneously preventing your small business from generating any revenue! It’s like a bad episode of a game show—“Who Wants to Go Out of Business?”
And did we mention the rent? As the only thing increasing faster than the cost of living in California is the likelihood of me getting heckled at a comedy club! Higher rent and energy bills are a double whammy for these gun shop owners. Sales plummeted for Farrell, and he didn’t even get a consolation prize for his suffering! Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, the “one gun a month” law made everyone’s shopping sprees as thrilling as a trip to the dentist!
What Now? The Future of Gun Stores
Well, it looks like the small gun shops are becoming endangered species in the Golden State! And if you think the gun economy is bad now, just wait until all that’s left are big box retailers. Imagine asking for advice at Wal-Mart! “Excuse me, can I get a recommendation on a good rifle?” “Uh, yeah, just check aisle five—right between the bulk toilet paper and the last of the ‘I give up’ gifts.”
The level of service at small shops is something they took pride in. They weren’t just selling guns; they were nurturing relationships—probably more than my last three relationships combined! If you were looking for a holster or a shotgun, you could have a chinwag, find out what’s suitable, and leave not just with a product, but with a memory—like an awkward first date but with less regret!
Is There a Silver Lining?
As these small shops close, you have to wonder if California will wake up and smell the espresso that comes with heavy regulation and tax burdens. Perhaps we’ll see the ghost of gun legislation past return soon to haunt them—because if you think we’re finished talking about gun control, honey, you’ve underestimated the resilience of Californians documenting their *complex feelings* on Instagram.
The soul of the gun shop is in jeopardy—not due to a lack of demand but from stifling regulations and taxes that were meant to protect them! The irony is thicker than my cousin’s lasagna! Those who remain will likely have to diversify their offerings or risk facing the eerie silence of an empty store. How about you sprinkle in some camping gear or even some self-defense classes? Because why not make lemonade when life gives you lemons—unless you can sell them first as a new, overpriced product line?
So, what’s the takeaway here? Small businesses, once a staple of Americana, are facing some chokeholds out there. While our comedians may deliver punchlines that stand the test of time, these gun store owners find themselves dodging bullets… metaphorically speaking, of course! As we bid adieu to PRK Arms and South Gate Firearm Supply, let’s raise a toast to the good ol’ local shops—and remember: when life gives you taxes, make potential buyers feel like they’ve entered Alcatraz!
Two Fresno-area gun stores have closed after years of business.
The owners of both businesses blamed California’s strict gun laws and high taxes as the main reason for the closure.
They said there was little to no money to be made as a gun store owner, citing new California laws that they said increased the owner’s expenses and discouraged customers from purchasing as many guns and ammunition as before.
All of this is on top of increases in rent and energy bills, along with workers’ compensation and insurance, inflation factors that all types of businesses deal with, especially those in California.
So after 16 years, PRK Arms in Fresno closed its doors for good.
So did South Gate Firearm Supply in the Coarsegold area after five years.
Both closed at the end of August.
“It hurts,” said Ryan Farrell, owner of South Gate Firearm Supply. “I wish we could stay open, but it’s not possible.”
Farrell estimated that 5% of the reason he was closing was the typical stress of owning a store and “95% because of these regulations.”
Assembly Bill 28 went into effect on July 1, requiring customers, manufacturers, sellers and distributors to pay an 11% tax on firearms and ammunition.
The purpose of the 11% tax — also known as the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act — was to fund violence prevention efforts.
But from the perspective of the two former gun store owners, they believe the 11% tax was “the final nail in the coffin.”
The owner of PRK Arms confirmed the closure of his gun store, but declined to give an official interview. The owner of PRK expressed many of the same opinions as Farrell, the owner of South Gate Firearm Supply.
The PRK owner called the difficulties of owning a gun store “a perfect storm” that has caused damage due to the economy, higher gun taxes and limits on the number of guns a customer can purchase. for most of this year.
Meanwhile, the owner of South Gate Firearm Supply said sales fell 50% in July, signaling he couldn’t bear to stay open beyond his lease.
“It’s just not sustainable,” Farrell said.
The owner of PRK Arms added that his store could not survive solely by selling gun accessories; The 11% tax does not apply to accessories such as holsters or scopes.
The law that allowed carrying one gun per month is revoked for now
In early 2024, a California law went into effect limiting residents to purchasing a firearm of any type within 30 days.
The law was later repealed in mid-August.
But gun store owners said that seven-and-a-half-month period in which customers were limited in the number of guns they could buy caused too much damage for their businesses to overcome.
The intent of the one-gun-a-month law, the state said, was to address “unprecedented social concerns,” such as gun trafficking and broker-dealing, which is when someone legally buys a gun and then gives it to you. to another person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
In mid-August, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down California’s one-per-month law.
At least for the time being, California residents will be able to purchase firearms as often as they wish.
“Limiting it to 12 guns a year is not part of our culture,” Farrell said. “It affected us. “There were definitely people who wanted to buy more than one gun and I turned them away because they had bought a gun about 20 days ago.”
The fight over gun restrictions continues and a federal appeals court is now considering the constitutionality of that California law that limited residents to one gun purchase every 30 days.
Another law that went into effect in 2024 that did not directly affect customers, but that gun store owners had to deal with, was California Senate Bill 1384.
The bill, which was signed in September 2022, created new requirements for licensed firearms dealers to maintain digital audio and video surveillance systems on their premises.
Surveillance systems required digital records of all entrances and exits to a building, all areas where firearms are displayed, and all points of sale.
And surveillance, which must be sufficient to identify all parties involved in any firearms transaction, must record for 24 hours a day and be time stamped on video.
Additionally, surveillance footage recordings must be retained for at least one year.
That created another expense for store owners.
“The Department of Justice could have done something simple, like activate just the motion detection system…Start recording when something moves in the area. That would cut (expenses) at least in half. I mean, we also have an alarm system. So if someone breaks in, a motion detection system will be activated. Recording when no one is here, I don’t know what the purpose of that is.”
The future of gun stores
With California’s firearms regulations driving small gun store owners out of business, some in the local gun community are concerned that more mom-and-pop gun stores will close.
They theorize that only big box retailers like Wal Mart and Sportsman’s Warehouse will remain as places to buy guns and ammunition in California.
“When you lose these little gun stores, a place where people look you in the eye, know what they’re talking about and actually serve people, that’s not good.”
Gun store owners PRK Arms and South Gate Firearm Supply believe the only smaller gun stores that will remain in California will be those that offer a service or product beyond the sale of guns and ammunition, such as security service .
Or in the case of big box stores that sell guns, other types of merchandise like sports equipment to help offset the potential stagnation in gun sales.
“We’re going to miss those mom-and-pop gun stores like South Gate Firearm.”
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(c)2024 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.) / Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
