Drop in Gun and Ammunition Sales Across Michigan

The election of a president strongly support of gun rights has, paradoxically, led to a drop in gun and ammunition sales, experts say.

In Michigan, FBI background checks for firearm sales are down 20 percent overall for the first three months of 2017 compared to the first quarter of 2016. Michigan background checks are down 25 percent for handguns.

The downward trend began in December, a month after Trump's election, the FBI data shows.

FBI data on background checks is a proxy measure of firearm sales, although not all purchases require such a check.

Between December 2012 and the end of 2016, FBI background checks for Michigan handgun purchases increased eight-fold, to 171,588 in 2016.

It was a spike driven by then-President Obama's push for stricter gun regulations in the wake of the Sandy Hook and subsequent mass shootings.

The trend isn't limited to Michigan. Nationwide, FBI firearm background checks were down 20 percent in January 2017 compared to January 2016.

Gun and ammunition manufacturers have also seen a drop in their stock prices. Sturm Ruger and Co. saw its stock price plunge immediately following the Nov. 8 election, and it's still 14 percent below its Nov. 8 valuation. The stock price of American Outdoor Brands, the parent company of Smith and Wesson, is currently 35 percent below its 52-week high.

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