Gunning For A Difference Over Firearms

NEW ORLEANS - Sept. 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Guns are always a loaded topic here in the States, and the death of an Arizona firearms instructor by a 9-year-old girl has fired up gun discussions once again about US gun policies. The little girl lost control of her weapon when it kicked back upon being fired, accidentally hitting and killing her instructor. This tragedy further proves that children are not equipped to handle powerful automatic weapons, and that a more appropriate age limit should be implemented at shooting ranges. Over the years, Americans have witnessed over and over again horrific tragedies like this. Too many guns end up in the hands of children and mentally ill individuals, and something needs to change.

But despite such incidents, firearms tourism is booming across the US. One reason for this is because the US has the most lenient gun control laws out of all developed countries. Here in the States, shooting ranges have been in business since the 1980’s, but their popularity only recently spiked in the last few years. In contrast to American gun policy, Japan has some of the world’s strictest gun laws. Likewise, a majority of foreign tourists fueling the newfound economic profitability at shooting ranges are Japanese tourists. They and other foreigners alike are increasingly seeking out a firearms experience at outdoor and indoor shooting ranges. These facilities provide customers with a high-powered weapons experience—an experience they see as an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In Japan, almost no one owns a gun, and most guns are illegal. This could further suggest why Japanese tourists are gravitating to shooting ranges when visiting the US. Humans are curious, and because guns are more strictly prohibited abroad, these tourists are eager to taste a forbidden fruit.

Nevertheless the revival in gun fascination has generated a newfound curiosity, but why else is this market in high demand and so desirable right now? In my award winning and best-selling book, Sell Your Business For More Than It’s Worth, what makes a business desirable within its market is a fundamental topic covered in chapter two of my book. It is also one of the first questions I make my clients identify about their own business and industry. Foreign tourists are attracted to American shooting ranges, because such an opportunity is limited and sometimes completely restricted to them elsewhere. Likewise, the longer a company has been in business, the more sustainable and appealing it is to potential buyers. Shooting ranges are not very common businesses abroad. Specific licenses limit where and how they operate. This fact may make these types of businesses more desirable to foreigners visiting the US, who have always been more restricted in how they access firearms.

Guns are also intertwined throughout American culture, and if you grew up in the US, then you know that they have always been an acceptable social norm. And so, another thing that makes the gun experience so desirable to foreigners and to maybe even to Americans is the association between American life and firearms–or the right to bear arms. Tourism is about experiencing another culture, and so guns are perceived as a trademark of US culture. However, they are very dangerous and too often end up in the hands of dangerous or careless people. The presence of a pistol, rifle, or handgun is no big deal. Guns are featured in daily news articles or in media broadcasts. When the world is in conflict guns are favored weapons used in attempts to control or destroy whatever crisis is the newest deadly headliner. Guns of every variety also dominate scenes from action films to TV series. We see or read about them in daily propaganda, when in reality they should not be perceived as such a common thing.

Another question I ask my clients that can further decipher how desirable a business or industry is, whether that business or industry has any trade secrets. The more proprietary systems you have in place then the more desirable your business will appear to be. In 2013, shortly after Obama unveiled his plans for a new gun control initiative, there was an unprecedented increase in economic growth in America’s firearms industry. The data suggests that guns tend to become more desirable when there is fear of tighter gun restrictions and business does exceptionally better during difficult economic times, high unemployment rates, and shortly after events that involved gun violence against innocent civilians. When people sense events outside of their control could happen, they become frightened. In other words, fear is one of this industry’s trade secrets, but it is in no means the only trade secret. The US is also a sportsman’s paradise, where hunting and shooting skeet are popular hobbies. In addition to this, small businesses such as Texas Armory Corporation are experimenting and revolutionizing the ways by which we defend and prevent gunshot wounds.

More than any other, this business is a continual dynamic between the past, the present and the future. It requires continuous calculations and an instinctive ability in forethought. At its core the firearms business is and always has been about surplus and the advancement of itself and of society; and really that is the objective of any sustainable business. What it comes down to is society, and society must choose how to handle the power this industry is willing to place in the hands of the common man. Data shows that for every 100 people in the US, 88 own a gun. Guns are the most commonly used weapons for murder in the US. However, data also illustrates that the country of Japan has nearly eliminated murder by firearms; hardly any citizens even own a gun. Truly, there must be gun reform with changes made to gun laws in the United States. Equally as important, parents need gun education too, and new techniques must be discussed on how to keep guns out of the hands of a mentally sick person. This is another thing a parent should be legally responsible for, because then they would likely take this issue for more seriously and practice better precautions. Innocent children and people are dying daily due to loose gun laws.