Mixed gun sales results after the re-election of President Barack Obama could be because of federal interference in the gun market.
???Multiple military actions and selling firearms to other countries affects manufacturing and sales,??? said Anthony Melé, president of Ami Global Security, an international security consultancy based in Spring Valley, N.Y. A sharp increase in ammunition prices is frustrating sellers.
???Certain government agencies, such as the IRS are purchasing millions of dollars in ammunition. This drives up costs,??? he said.
Ammunition price jumped 25 to 30 percent in three years, and the wait time for bulk orders is two to three times longer, he said.
This has an effect on the smaller gun shops that may not have the stock to satisfy their customers who want expedited service, Melé said.
Driving prices up through government bulk purchases of ammunition may be an attempt by the federal government to reduce gun sales, he said.
???The perception of a concerted gun grab effort by federal and state governments creates a sense of urgency by concerned citizens to arm themselves,??? he said.
???Currently, there is the normal Christmas season uptick of buyers, but we are not seeing the same 50-fold increase as we saw in 2008,??? Ed Gajer, the sales manager at Arms & Ammo in Fremont, Neb.
While many people in the gun culture are Republican and not happy with Obama???s re-election, business is about the same this year as it was last year, he said.
???We expected a lot more sales,??? he said.
???We are not seeing the same pick up in sales, as we did in 2008,??? said John William Arnold, owner of Specialty Arms II in La Vergne, Tenn.
There are more gun shops in the area now than in 2008, but sales have stayed about the same, he said.
We do see an increase in some of the firearms being sold, he said. ???More semi-automatic weapons and hand guns are being purchased.???
Buyers like the semi-automatic weapon for hunting, target practice and simulation combat,Arnoldsaid. ???It???s the big boys playing cowboys and Indians.???
Gun purchases by women have been increasing for the past 10 years, he said. ???The trend is that women are buying hand guns for protection, but once they become familiar with using guns, they are looking into shot guns and rifles to purchase.???
In its annual statistical update 2012, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows an increase in firearms manufactured in the U.S.A. from 2008 through 2009, but a small decrease in 2010.
