PORTAGE COUNTY — Rick Stein has seen this before.

A changing of the guard in the White House and a surge in gun sales.


What You Need To Know

  • Gun stores typically see sales increase around election years
  • Currently, the price of ammo and firearms is inflated due to low supply and high demand
  • Some locally owned gun stores are saying they are seeing an increase in first-time gun buyers

Stein owns Portage Gun Sales. He's been in business since 1990.

“I think a lot of them are concerned about what will happen. They don’t know what the situation will be as far as elections go and what our government is going to do at this time,” Stein said.

The spike in gun sales has made it hard to keep the shelves stocked, Stein said.

"We’re trying to help everyone the best we can and get them what they want but having it that day, sometimes they have to wait two or three days, sometimes a week to get the product in,” he said.

It also has driven up prices.

“Prices are inflated. I would urge people to not just jump on the bandwagon and pay a ridiculous price for it. If you can wait a little bit prices are going to come back down,” Stein said.

Stein said many of the people he's seen come in his shop are first-time gun owners.

"People are buying ammo and handguns who have never really owned them before,” he said.

He said an increase in sales around the elections isn’t unusual, especially when a Democrat is voted into office.

“When there is a rumor that they are going to take away something or change something people panic and they start buying all of this stuff ... When a lot of times it isn’t necessary, but they do it anyway,” Stein said.

While Stein said he’s happy sales are up, he urges new gun owners to take a safety class.

“I recommend anyone who has never handled or shot a firearm, definitely needs to take a safety class of some kind. You need to learn how to properly handle a firearm, how to load it and how to unload it. How to handle it if there is a jam.”

Stein said he expects the prices of ammunition and firearms to go back down soon.