Have you always been fascinated with pistols guns and rifles gun? If so, you might want to consider opening a business that will allow you to sell guns. Starting a gun shop will be a very good business that you can venture on particularly if you have interest and knowledge on guns.
A shooting range can be an indoor or outdoor range. You can start from scratch or purchase an already operating establishment. Once you make the decision what kind of shooting range you want, consider whether you are the kind of person who can operate under strict federal, state and local regulations, including safety, insurance, record keeping and reporting requirements. Also consider the social implications of owning a shooting range including protests by anti-gun activists, media scrutiny and potential liability for the actions of your customers or errors and omissions by you or your staff.
Starting a gun shop can be a very good idea most especially if you have a natural interest in guns and ammunition's. Remember to choose a good location for your gun store and to implement good marketing strategies.
Opening a gun shop is much more challenging than opening any other business. Government regulations overseeing the sale and distribution of guns complicates this small businesses operation, whether it's obtaining a license to sell guns, ordering guns from distributors, or selling guns to consumers.
Things You'll Need
- Business plan
- Federal firearms license
- Bound book
- Gun safes
- Glass cabinets
- Appropriate location
- Insurance
Here is some information that you will be interested to learn if you want to know how to start a gun store:
What to Sell in Gun Store
If you are planning for opening a gun shop then most important among all factors is the catalog, selecting best selling guns in your locality will be a daunting task. You will have to make a survey on demanded guns before you start selling them, ask few local army personnel, people keeping guns(for safety reasons), sheriffs to get an impression on best selling guns. You can also ask few gun dealers for figuring out the most selling rifles/guns in your locality. You should add different gun services like gricing guns, selling used guns to your shop so that store will have some repeating customers and build a trust over the time.
Where to Open a Pistol Store
One of the most basic yet very important aspects that you have to consider if you are starting a rifle selling store is to look for the best and most appropriate location where you can open and establish a grice gun shop. It will help if you observe how successful gun dealers choose locations for their gun business. You will notice that gun shops are usually opened in locations where prospective customers can easily find the gun shop. Offering gun for sale in malls and similar commercial areas will be a good decision and this should be considered when you are making your gun store business plan. Nevertheless, it will be inevitable that it will be hard to find such good locations. It will therefore help if you also consider effective marketing strategies particularly if you fail to choose a good location for your gun store.
Marketing your Guns for Sale
As previously mentioned, it is sometimes difficult to find a good location where you can open your gun store. If you want to know how to open a gun maintenance store that can be successful despite getting a less desirable location, effective marketing must be considered. It will help if you advertise the products that you sell so prospective clients will hear and learn about your business. It will also be helpful if you can offer a variety of products that people have difficulty finding in other gun stores. Make sure that you sell the most basic guns and gun supplies such as colt gun, gun ammunition, hunting gun, ruger gun and airsoft gun. Offering a wide selection of gun products at a discounted cost can also help boost your business’ gun sales. Keep asking your customers for feedback so that you will come to know about their demand and your mistakes. Improvise on your customer relations as you get some feed backs and ask your customers for referrals. Try to give some incentives on referrals and convert your leads to make the maximum profit.
Instruction:
Step 1
Write your business plan giving special attention to the costs involved. It can be very expensive to build a shooting range from scratch, particularly if it will be an indoor range. Contact local ranges to see if they would consider selling or taking on a partner as the cost of improving an existing establishment may be far less than building a new one and you would have the added benefit of an existing customer base.
Step 2
Acquire a FFL from the federal government. There are lots of rules involved in applying and being approved for your FFL. FFL applicants must pass all scrutiny or they will not receive the license. To get your FFL you must be at least 21 years old. You must not be prohibited from buying or selling guns and ammunition. If you violated any Gun Control Act regulations, you will not get a license. You FFL will be denied or rescinded if you are caught in a lie on your application. Before receiving your license, you must establish a location to buy and sell your guns. If you plan to open more than one gun shop, each must have its own FFL license
Step 3
Find a good location to open your gun shop. You have to have this before you can officially open the shop, but don't make a major financial commitment before you are fairly sure you will get your FFL. Once you do, you must inform the local police of your gun shop opening. You have to get local and sometimes state approval for a gun shop location.
Step 4
Research your license and zoning requirements. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has an informative website and offers call-in support. Your local city offices can educate you on the zoning laws in various areas and the requirements you must meet.
Step 5
Visit shooting ranges in and out of your area, and attend as many gun shows as possible. Ask questions of the people already involved in the industry and establish contacts with gun manufacturers who are likely to have helpful advice for anyone opening a commercial establishment that can promote and sell their products.
Step 6
Keep a "bound book" which holds all your transactions of gun sales to individuals. It must be kept on the gun shop premises at all times and the pages have to be numbered consecutively in case of an audit.
Step 7
Install gun safes for at night and glass cabinets for during the day. The law requires you to store the guns in a place that is not easily accessible. This minimizes the chance of the firearms being stolen.
Launch
Step 1
Decide on your company image and apply that image to your name, logo, facility decorations, promotional literature and advertising. Your company image must meet the psychological needs of your target customer.
Step 2
Promote your launch to local gun clubs, service clubs, sporting goods stores and commercial associations.
Step 3
Provide special discounts and contests to draw customers during your first months of operation.
Step 4
Offer classes in responsible gun ownership, maintenance and use through local night school and community recreation programs.
Step 5
Promote your launch date with advertising and a grand opening celebration.
Tip
Average shooting range use fees are around $10 per hour so you will need 100 daily customers to make $30,000 per month, which may only cover your costs of rent, salaries, utilities and insurance. Gun rentals and sales of ammunition, guns and gun accessories will be important factors in the profitability of your operation.
Warning
Before you open, set up your accounting, record keeping and operational procedures. Failure to comply with record keeping and reporting requirements can put you out of business fast. Computer software will assist you in these matters but you and your staff must know how to use it every time.
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