Now that President Donald Trump has taken office, Second Amendment supporters have rejoiced. The threat of a Hillary Clinton presidency is gone…for now.

Over the last four years, gun owners were stocking up on firearms and ammunition, in preparation for the launch of an all-out gun control agenda. With Trump in office, the gun industry has slowed down. Americans aren’t as fearful that their Second Amendment rights are under attack.

According to Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at the State University of New York and the author of the book Guns Across America, the gun industry frequently sees “political spikes” – waves of sales due to proposed legislation and political agendas. Spitzer anticipates the end to the political spike in gun sales that were frequently seen over the last four years.

Because of Trump’s election, “there is no political incentive to buy guns, and, as a consequence, we’ve seen a drop in gun sales,” he said, projecting that “gun sales will be flat” going forward, as the manufacturers and retailers are now “a victim of their success.”

Gun owners aren’t buying guns as excessively as before, because there is a general feeling of safety under a Trump presidency. The threat of losing more freedom in regard to Second Amendment rights was severely reduced once he was elected. Although early numbers show that gun purchases aren’t currently reaching the record numbers of last year, this doesn’t mean that gun owners will stop purchasing firearms and ammo. Purchases may be smaller and less urgent than before, but they do still exist – despite some efforts by the media to inaccurately paint the industry as a “victim.”
Here’s what the mainstream media doesn’t understand about gun owners and why the industry, as a whole, will come out as a winner under this new administration:

We believe in the power of the Second Amendment.

We, as gun owners, believe in protecting one of our most basic Constitutional rights. Our founding fathers feared a tyrannical government. A way to alleviate that fear was allowing citizens to responsibly bear arms as self defense against those who wish to do harm and against a powerful government.

We know the power of our firearm.

Gun owners take their firearm ownership seriously. That’s why we learn as much as we can about how our gun functions, what the best type of ammo is for our intended purpose and practice safe gun handling. We know how to use our firearm for defensive purposes but hope to never need to use them.

We hunt and compete.

Unless it works to promote a certain narrative, the mainstream media rarely talks about those of us who hunt as a means of providing for our families or those who compete in shooting sports, like trap, skeet and silhouette. In fact, national coverage of Olympian Kim Rhoad was sparse during the 2016 Olympics, when she was the first U.S. Olympian to qualify for an Olympic team on five different continents. She was also the first woman to medal in six consecutive Olympics.
Right now, more and more Americans are jumping into the shooting sports arena.

We want to be protected.

We believe in protecting ourselves, instead of leaving our fate in the hands of others. In a world that is becoming more and more violent, more Americans than ever are becoming gun owners. In fact, women are the fastest growing population of gun owners. Why take the risk of being a victim, when you can guarantee you’ll have a fighting chance?

We follow the law.

The media is quick to make gun owners out to be “crazies” who are obsessed with guns. The reality is gun owners are law-abiding citizens. We undergo background checks. We purchase guns legally. We practice using our firearms at gun ranges. We do all of the things responsible gun owners should do.