Mike Meunier, co-owner of Pioneer Valley Arms in East Longmeadow, said the recent [Massachusetts gun control] law is placing the livelihood of the state’s gun industry in jeopardy.
“While I firmly believe that many of these provisions will be struck down in the courts, it will take a great deal of time, effort, and cost to make this happen,“ Meunier said in an email. ”In the meantime, we find ourselves stuck with this burdensome law that not only restricts the freedoms of our duly licensed citizens, but also heavily impacts the firearm trade in this state and jeopardizes the livelihood of many firearms retailers, manufacturers, and gunsmiths.”
The changes brought about by the law include a new firearms safety course, which has yet to be developed, but requires students to go to a range to train with their weapons, Meunier said. Between gun clubs and public ranges, the state does not have enough places to handle the increased demand, he said.
Furthermore, Meunier said the law prohibits AR-style firearms, “which is by far the most popular rifle in the entire country,” and there is confusion when it comes to semiautomatic firearms, which fire a bullet every time the trigger is pulled.
Meunier said the current law prohibits the possession of semiautomatic guns by residents who merely hold a firearms identification card, a group of people that could number in the thousands, while also limiting the transfer of those types of firearms.
“With no grandfathering clause, it appears that the only option is to either surrender their guns or to live in violation of the law,” Meunier said.
Furthermore, Meunier said the state is developing a system to register all the firearms within the state, and sellers of ammunition need to log who is making purchases. Meunier said the shop has had customers say they will drive to another state to buy their ammunition rather than have their information logged, and the shop has seen a decline of ammo sales.
“Ammunition accounts for 15% of our annual sales, and helps offset the generally low profit margins of firearm sales,” Meunier said.
— Lee Enochs in Gun industry dropping money into Mass. to challenge new firearms law