A 61 percent boom in the nation’s gun industry since 2008 has led some experts in the business to call
President Barack Obama their “salesman of the year,” according to
The Washington Times.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported in a survey released Thursday that the economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industry totaled $31 billion in 2011 — up from $19 billion in 2008. The figure includes jobs, taxes, and sales. The foundation, which has its headquarters in Newtown, Conn., is the trade association for the firearms industry.
The number of jobs in the gun industry increased by 30 percent to 98,750, and firearms businesses paid $2.5 billion in federal taxes, up 66 percent in the three-year period, the foundation said. Additionally, background check requests for purchases of firearms set records in 2010 and 2011, FBI data shows.
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Fears that Obama will tighten gun control laws if he wins re-election triggered the rise in business, officials in the business say. “There’s a concern that in the second term the Obama administration would lead an attempt to restrict gun ownership,” foundation Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane, told The Washington Times.
“Some people jokingly refer to [President Obama] as the salesman of the year for the industry,” Keane said.
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