Concealed carry/gun costs

[aaronc879]

It looks like it will soon become legal to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. I'm not interested in debating whether it should be legal or not. I'm just wondering if the economics majors in the forum could give their opinion on whether or not the new law will increase or decrease the cost of a handgun. There will be a larger increase in demand than in supply leading me to think that prices would go up. However, merchants will need to keep prices down to be competitive. So will they cost more now or after the law passes.

I plan to buy a gun but not neccessarily to carry outside the home.

[mh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 It looks like it will soon become legal to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. I'm not interested in debating whether it should be legal or not. I'm just wondering if the economic majors in the forum could give their opinion on whether or not the new law with increase or decrease the cost of a handgun. There will be a larger increase in demand than in supply leading me to think that prices would go up. However, merchants will need to keep prices down to be competitive. So will they cost more now or after the law passes. I plan to buy a gun but not neccessarily to carry outside the home.

If you think you need it for protection why wouldn't you buy it right away regardless of the price implications? That would be my reasoning.

[SteveR]

Can't speak for Wisconsin, but out here in Cowboy country, where permits are very common, the price of firearms has not increased more than inflation in the past couple of decades. Can't say the same for ammunition; but that was due to a different issue. Unreasonable gun control measures will drive up the price of some firearms but the basic home defense models are usually not involved in price increase spirals. There is always a robust secondary market where many sell existing firearms so they can trade up to the latest and greatest models.

If you do go for the permit be sure to buy a current book or find a current website that has all the carry and concealment laws from the various states you will visit. As RVers I have to make sure we transport according to the laws of the states we are going to travel through or visit. You have to do your homework so you don't violate transport or carry laws as they are not at all uniform. We just transport according to the toughest laws for the states we travel through that day. It keeps us from forgetting once we cross the state line.

Personal carry is a huge responsibility and not one taken lightly. Be as proficient as you possibly can and you might just survive an encounter...otherwise, you might be better off with mace or a tazzer. There is no place for "cowboys" in the CFP ranks despite what the media might tell you.

Arizona is very close by and when they dropped their permit requirement to carry concealed, there were no significant gun price hikes due to increased demand. Frankly, most of these folks already had a firearm and the law just allows them to carry it without a permit. Firearm ownership is different from carry permits; you don't have to have a permit to own a firearm, just to legally carry it and transport it concealed.

[BigNick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 I'm just wondering if the economics majors in the forum could give their opinion on whether or not the new law will increase or decrease the cost of a handgun. There will be a larger increase in demand than in supply leading me to think that prices would go up. However, merchants will need to keep prices down to be competitive. So will they cost more now or after the law passes.

I guess that you're working on the assumption that since a gun is not just something you can order up off the Internet (as least, I don't think you can), that a true local market exists, between gun dealers and purchasers.

However, on the assumption that wholesale transport of firearms across state lines is legal, you would have to show that the new law would cause demand to increase sufficiently as to cause the national manufacturers or importers to experience a measurable spike in demand, which they could not cover by increasing production or digging into reserves of stock.

More likely would be a local cartel, but even that's not very likely. There are a *lot* of gun dealers (I think I read that there are more gun stores than McDonald's restaurants in the US) and it doesn't strike me as the kind of business profile where they get together in smoke-filled rooms to fix prices.

[braumeister]

To answer your question directly, the answer is "no change."

Ohio began allowing concealed carry in 2004, and the state population is about twice that of Wisconsin. Gun prices were unaffected.

[frank]

how would you know if the prices were up? its not like you would go out every week and check the prices on handguns. I see handguns around here for about 500. that seems to be in the ballpark for either carry or home protection. something decent and with a good brand name. I just got a permit to carry and have not purchased anything. I look around and if I see something that looks reasonable, I will probably purchase it, but I noticed you can buy some handguns used, that have only shot a few rounds and then the people decided not to keep them somewhat cheaper.

[Mulligan]

I recently purchased one a few months ago. It was a very interesting process, and I learned a lot. All sorts of info out there on internet. Make sure you are versed in what you actually want ( caliber, size, revolver, semi auto, etc.) before you look to buy. Then compare prices online and at stores. There are real sales that occur and prices do vary at different locations. If you find something online, that is a lot cheaper, usually you have hidden fees to deal with such as shipping and a payment to a local gun store where you can actually physically receive it.

[eytonxav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 It looks like it will soon become legal to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. I'm not interested in debating whether it should be legal or not. I'm just wondering if the economics majors in the forum could give their opinion on whether or not the new law will increase or decrease the cost of a handgun. There will be a larger increase in demand than in supply leading me to think that prices would go up. However, merchants will need to keep prices down to be competitive. So will they cost more now or after the law passes. I plan to buy a gun but not neccessarily to carry outside the home.

Price is more apt to be affected whenever the govt makes noise about banning firearms. This actually happened a few years ago, but the NRA is very powerful, so it didn't go anywhere. Ammunition on the other hand has become much more expensive due to all the middle east conflicts and the demand increase from that.

Definitely, if you are not proficient in the use of a handgun get some training and keep on shooting or you will lose your skills. I don't know about Wisconsin, but most states will require you to take a concealed carry class, including demonstrating that you can hit a target under timed conditions.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank how would you know if the prices were up? its not like you would go out every week and check the prices on handguns

Actually, my comment above was based on information from a friend, who worked at a large gun store in Ohio both before and after the concealed carry law went into effect. He said it was completely irrelevant to the prices they got for their stock.

[haha]

Interesting to see this thread. Some years back we had many threads about guns, prices, types, etc. But over time the character of the board changed (much more left leaning) and I have not noticed a gun related thread in a long time.

Ha

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha But over time the character of the board changed (much more left leaning)...

Or perhaps the moderators whipped both sides - and the middle - into shape and this is merely a perception?

[calmloki]

Our permits lapsed while we were out of state - have to re-apply and will know the cost this afternoon.

$50 in Oregon to re-up our expired CHL tags. As for handgun cost, I've pistols going back to the WW1 era - they don't seem to wear out much, so it shouldn't cost much for something that goes bang and pushes a bullet forward without blowing up.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Or perhaps the moderators whipped both sides - and the middle - into shape and this is merely a perception?

Or so the Germans would have us believe.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Interesting to see this thread. Some years back we had many threads about guns, prices, types, etc. But over time the character of the board changed (much more left leaning) and I have not noticed a gun related thread in a long time. Ha

I had an innocent conceal and carry thread about 6months ago. A lot of interesting comments then Porky Pig reared his ugly head!

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan I had an innocent conceal and carry thread about 6months ago. A lot of interesting comments then Porky Pig reared his ugly head!

Innocence lost...

Quote:

Although we don't have a laundry list of inappropriate topics, discussion of subjects such as politics (unless directly related to early retirement), gun rights and abortion rarely end well. For this reason the moderation team may delete discussions of these topics as well as any other topic deemed to be inappropriate.

Community Rules

And since this thread is veering away from the financial/economic theme of the OP and into the realm of politics, Porky is probably lurking just around the next post...

[Bimmerbill]

I have a federal licence to sell, and most stuff I buy is from huge regional distributors. I doubt you will see an increase from them, even if there is an increase in sales from 1 state.

Now, your local gun shops could raise their prices if they wanted to.

Check out some of the online gun auction sites (gunbroker for instance). You can find a list of dealers in your state, and can buy a gun online and have it shipped to a local dealer for the background and paperwork. Going rate used to be $30 or so for that service, but may have increased a bit.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Interesting to see this thread. Some years back we had many threads about guns, prices, types, etc. But over time the character of the board changed (much more left leaning) and I have not noticed a gun related thread in a long time. Ha

Speaking personally, I done changed my mind. Simple as that. I am not about to start packing heat wherever I go, but I enjoy target shooting and may try hunting once I am in a less incredibly over-regulated state.

[Backpacker]

I don't think it will make any difference in price. Here in MI I can order a pistol on-line from anywhere in the usa and have it shipped to a Federally licensed dealer in my area. He will then meet with me and complete the deal once he receives the pistol.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 It looks like it will soon become legal to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin. I'm not interested in debating whether it should be legal or not. I'm just wondering if the economics majors in the forum could give their opinion on whether or not the new law will increase or decrease the cost of a handgun. There will be a larger increase in demand than in supply leading me to think that prices would go up. However, merchants will need to keep prices down to be competitive. So will they cost more now or after the law passes. I plan to buy a gun but not neccessarily to carry outside the home.

I would imagine that most folks who want firearms already have them - Wisconsin and elsewhere. This is a very competitive business and if demand does pick up unexpectedly it would be satisfied in just a few days, sooner if online ordering is an option.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Speaking personally, I done changed my mind. Simple as that. I am not about to start packing heat wherever I go, but I enjoy target shooting and may try hunting once I am in a less incredibly over-regulated state.

I have had mine for 6 months (I'm a gun novice) and will get only my second chance to target shoot next week at a friends farm. We had a couples get together a few months back and the guys wanted me to bring it so they could see it. The 3 ladies were scared to death of it and were not happy I brought it, even though its magazine was removed, unchambered, and had a safety chain locked through the chamber. The guys all wanted to look at it and check it out. My buddies wife who I am going up to see told me last week don't bring that thing up here. My buddy called me last night and said make sure you bring the gun and we will sneak to the back of the farm and shoot it and she will never know!