Glocks, Ammo, AR-15s Sell Out As Biden Inauguration Foreshadows Tighter Gun Control

Glock handguns are selling so fast that Danielle Jaymes, general manager of Poway Weapons & Gear in Poway, California, can’t keep them in stock.

Her store sold a shipment of 192 Glock 19s in a week, she said, and 9mm ammunition is so popular that she rations purchases to 100 rounds per day.

“People will take whatever they can get because supplies are so limited,” she said. “If I had a million rounds of 9 mm right now, I could sell it in two days.”

Americans are buying Glocks and other guns as they anticipate gun control measures by President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Democrats who take office on Jan. 20. Carried by police officers and eulogized by rappers, Glocks are widely popular. A Glock turned up at a Capitol Police checkpoint on Friday, according to news reports, when a suspect was arrested with the loaded gun, 500 rounds and false inauguration credentials.  

The deadly Capitol riots by supporters of President Trump on Jan. 6 puts an uncomfortable spotlight on firearms. That day, federal authorities arrested a suspect who allegedly carried two handguns near the Capitol building, according to the Justice Department, with an M4 assault rifle and 11 homemade bombs allegedly stashed in his truck nearby. Another suspect was charged with carrying a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.

Law enforcement is on high alert for more trouble at the inauguration. The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned of armed protests in 50 state capitols leading up to the inauguration, and armed protesters have appeared outside capitol buildings in Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Texas, according to news reports. Airlines Delta, American, Southwest
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, United and Alaska reportedly blocked guns from checked baggage on flights bound for Washington, DC, and Airbnb canceled its DC bookings for the week of inauguration.

When Biden is inaugurated, Democrats will finally have the edge, with a split Senate and Harris as the tiebreaker. Harris has a history of implementing gun control measures as Attorney General in California, where Jaymes sells tactical-style semiautomatic rifles, including AR-15s.

“We’re selling a lot of ARs,” said Jaymes. “I really can’t keep the ARs on the wall. A lot of people are worried about the assault weapon ban we’ve heard our President-elect and our Vice President-elect talk about.”

The Biden-Harris administration seeks to ban assault rifles for the civilian market and also high-capacity magazines, which can hold more than 10 rounds, and which are already banned in California. “Oh trust me, they would buy them if they could,” said Jaymes, referring to her customers.

Biden’s gun control policy has spooked consumers into buying more guns and is helping push sales to record levels. But the Biden boost could spell trouble down the road for the industry. This is the legislative tipping point that Democrats have been waiting for, following Senate victories in Georgia that place them neck-to-neck with Republicans.

“I believe the Democratic party victories in the Georgia runoffs for the Senate certainly position the Biden Administration well for potentially passing a significant series of gun control measures through the Congress,” said Rommel Dionisio, a gun industry analyst for Aegis Capitol.

He said that “proposed bans of modern sporting rifles and high-capacity magazines, not seen since 1994-2004 when first passed by the Clinton Administration, could be enacted once again.”

Biden’s proposed ban on the manufacture of assault rifles for the civilian market could torpedo sales for gun makers like Smith & Wesson, Sturm, Ruger
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, Daniel Defense, Noveske, Knight’s Armament, Lewis Machine & Tool, LWRC, Colt, Heckler & Koch, Midwest Industries and Barrett, which make military-style semiautomatic rifles. The plan would require existing owners to register their assault rifles, which the industry prefers to call modern sporting rifles, under the National Firearms Act. This requires a $200 tax and a background check process that takes months. The NFA registration is currently used for full auto machine guns and silencers.

Even worse for the gun makers, Biden wants to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The law was passed under the President Bush administration in 2005 to shield gun makers from wrongful death lawsuits. The potential damage from opening the industry to liability for crimes resulting from its firearms could be financially catastrophic.

Gun sales rose to record levels last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest and the specter of gun control. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said background checks rose 40% to a record 39.7 million in 2020. Americans are buying guns for self-protection amid a heightened state of fear, including 8.4 million first-time buyers in 2020, according to the gun industry group the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Gun violence has been rising, with deaths from homicides, accidents, suicides and self-defense up 10% in 2020 compared to the year before, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Police departments in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago reported steep increases in shootings last year. But even with shootings on the rise, dealing with gun control is just one mission in a daunting list of challenges for the Biden-Harris administration.

The incoming president will have his hands full with Covid-19 and will face significant challenges in getting gun control legislation passed by such an evenly divided Congress. Mandating an NFA requirement or nationwide buyback for AR-15 owners could be logistically and politically problematic during a time of extreme divisiveness. 

But Dionisio believes Biden will seize the moment. “Especially in light of recent civil unrest, it does appear likely the incoming administration will pursue such legislation in the near future,” he said.

Mark Oliva, public affairs director for the NSSF, described the Biden-Harris plan “untenable” and expensive. But he said the Democratic administration will make an effort to pass gun control legislation no matter what.

“We don’t believe for a moment that President-elect Biden or Vice President-elect Harris aren’t serious about wanting to achieve their stated goals,” he said.