Normally, gun dealers and gun buyers are aligned on various proposals by the ATF involving the purchasing of firearms. After all, the ATF has a long and storied history of trying to interfere with gun sales.
However, now, the interests of gun dealers may or may not be lining up with the interests of gun buyers.
That's because a new proposal from the ATF would allow guns to be shipped directly to people's homes after a face-to-face chat with an in-state dealer.
Some dealers aren't thrilled with that.
The competition between brick-and-mortar stores and online sales isn’t new to Americans, but a proposal could put it at the forefront of an unlikely market: gun sales.
A proposed rule change by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could allow people to buy guns without stepping foot in a store. In Alachua County, local gun store owners worry the proposal could threaten public safety and the market.
Bennett Latimer, the operations manager at ShootGTR, a Gainesville shooting range and gun store, said the proposal currently fails to address some safety and business concerns.
“With the information we have today, there are too many unanswered questions today for us to form a positive opinion,” Latimer said.
If passed, he said, the proposal could jeopardize both public safety and the profitability of brick-and-mortar stores.
Under the policy, local Federal Firearms Licensees would be less involved in the sales process.
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The new rule would let people complete their background check remotely, allowing guns to be directly shipped to a buyer after their identity is verified.
Latimer argues that it's difficult to judge safety concerns over the internet, which I suppose is probably fair.
However, I'm going to be blunt and say that I think the bigger issue is that Latimer doesn't like the idea of customers being able to shop around outside of easy driving range, and he may not like the outcome of them doing that.
Granted, I say that without knowing the man or his store, so it might be unfair of me, but here I need to note that this is where the gun buyer and the gun dealer are at odds.
For me, as a consumer, I want the best price I can find. I might want to support a local business, too, but if that's not as relevant to me, there's something about being able to shop online and price guns from miles and miles away. With the way Florida is geographically, there are long distances involved with travel. Miami to Tallahassee is an over a seven-hour drive, for example. I've joked with folks down there that I'm closer to their state capital than they are, and they reply that almost everyone is.
It's almost true, too.
So gun dealers benefit from that geographical lock. It means they might need to compete with the guy down the street, but not the one six hours away.
For consumers, that might be a problem.
And I'll also note that it's not like bad people aren't getting guns aplenty with the status quo. That's not likely to change one way or another. Straw buys will still be straw buys. People with nefarious intent will still hide it.
While it might be difficult to ascertain in a brief online conversation, nothing says Latimer has to play that game, nor does any other gun dealer.
Unless, of course, they're afraid of missing out on sales, in which case the issue was never about safety and always about increased competition.
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