• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'

1

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

2

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Leadershipgun sales

Here’s the Truth About that Ad for a ‘Pre-Hillary Sale’ on Guns

By
Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 19, 2016, 3:38 PM ET
Inside A Gun And Ammunition Store As Debate About Gun Ownership Continues During U.S. Elections
A customer holds a AR-15 riffle for sale at a gun store in Orem, Utah, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. The constitutional right of Americans to bear arms has become a flash point in the presidential contest between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesGeorge Frey—Bloomberg via Getty Images

This piece originally appeared on Money.com.

A controversial ad placed in last Sunday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal was certainly successful in one respect: The “Pre-Hillary Sale,” promoting the idea that gun “prices will skyrocket after Crooked Hillary gets in” office, has generated tons of media attention.

The Washington Post, Fox News, and Bloomberg were among the news outlets taking note of the ad, placed by a Las Vegas gun store called the Westside Armory. Naturally, the store owner, 60-year-old Cameron Hopkins, who is unsurprisingly voting for Donald Trump for president, is overjoyed with all the cheap publicity.

“This has been insane,” Hopkins told the Review-Journal on Tuesday. “It was a $600 ad. I’ve been on national TV.”

Hopkins said he posted the ad because gun sales have been terrible lately. “August was our worst month of the year, and September wasn’t much better,” he said. “I’m sitting here with a lot of guns I bought in anticipation of high sales that haven’t happened. I decided to take the bull by the horns. I decided to run an ad on what will happen if Hillary wins.”

With Republican presidential nominee #DonaldTrump’s poll numbers continuing to slide, Westside Armory posted an… https://t.co/ULbaM0aEn0

— Steve Sparks (@radiodjsteve) October 17, 2016

And what will happen if Hillary Clinton becomes president? Indeed, there is some reason to believe that gun sales will rise. That’s what happened during the election years of President Barack Obama, who has been referred to as “salesman of the year” for the gun industry. Over the past decade, two factors have been linked to sharp increases in gun sales, and both are all about fear. There’s the fear for one’s safety after high-profile mass shootings like those in San Bernardino and Orlando, and the fear that possible gun-reform measures endorsed by progressive politicians like Obama and Clinton will make it more difficult to buy guns.

After the reelection of President Obama and the grisly school shooting in Newtown, Ct., gun sales spiked in 2012 and 2013, before retreating in 2014, which was not a presidential election year. Multiple mass shootings seem to have contributed to a renewed sales burst in 2015, including a record high number of FBI background checks for firearm sales on Black Friday.

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Hillary Clinton supposedly wants to take away Americans’ rights to bear arms, and even made a veiled threat that perhaps some Second Amendment supporters—i.e., people with guns—could forcefully stop her or the judges she appoints from enacting gun reform. (Go here to read exactly what Clinton does and doesn’t support in terms of gun control.)

It’s with this idea that Las Vegas’s Westside Armory stocked up on guns. With Clinton leading in the polls, the assumption was that guns would be flying off the shelves. But apparently, the Clinton Effect didn’t take place in gun shops this summer. That could be because America’s gun enthusiasts are already swimming in guns in the wake of previous fear-induced sales surges. A poll conducted this past summer showed that even though gun sales have been strong for years, the gun ownership rate in the U.S. is only 36%, the lowest it’s been since 1978.

In other words, for the most part, gun sales haven’t been rising because more Americans are buying guns, but because the people who already have guns have been buying more and more guns.

For more on gun control, watch this Fortune video:

As for the idea promoted in the gun store newspaper ad that gun prices will rise if Hillary Clinton is elected, there isn’t much evidence to back the claim up. Average prices for the AR-15 assault rifle generally declined from 2007 (between $800 and $1,000) to 2014 ($600 to $800), and this past summer shops were selling the weapon for the relatively cheap price of around $500.

Oh, and the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II Semiautomatic Tactical Rifle advertised at the “Pre-Hillary Sale” price of $699.99 by the Westside Armory? It’s not really a sale price at all. Right now, Cabela’s lists the exact same weapon on sale for $629.99, down from the regular price of $699.99.

About the Authors
By Brad Tuttle
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Money
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Troy Link outside of a Jack Link's world headquarters sign
SuccessCareers
Jack Link’s CEO shares his message for Gen Z workers: Commit, stick to it, and ‘be really good at it’
By Preston ForeMay 31, 2026
1 hour ago
Snowflake CEO says monster quarter shows why software firms need new pricing models to thrive in AI age
AISnowflake Computing
Snowflake CEO says monster quarter shows why software firms need new pricing models to thrive in AI age
By Sebastian HerreraMay 30, 2026
15 hours ago
Warren Buffett’s son Peter didn’t know his dad was a billionaire until his 20s—he found out from a rich list
SuccessWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s son Peter didn’t know his dad was a billionaire until his 20s—he found out from a rich list
By Sydney LakeMay 30, 2026
17 hours ago
A woman in a dark blazer speaks in front of a table of people.
SuccessLeadership
‘Don’t be yourself’ in the workplace, actually, Columbia professor says. Here’s why authenticity is ‘overrated’
By Sasha RogelbergMay 30, 2026
17 hours ago
Former IHOP CEO Julia Stewart
SuccessJobs
Ex-Applebee’s exec was told she’d never be CEO—she bought the chain and fired her naysayer: ‘We don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go’
By Emma BurleighMay 30, 2026
17 hours ago
Ex–Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns U.S. tech workers: Competing with China’s grueling 12-hour workdays means sacrificing work-life balance
Future of Workthe future of work
Ex–Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns U.S. tech workers: Competing with China’s grueling 12-hour workdays means sacrificing work-life balance
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 30, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
Economy
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
By Shawn TullyMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
Politics
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
By Jack Wittels and BloombergMay 30, 2026
18 hours ago
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Law
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
By Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 30, 2026
12 hours ago
Gen Z is rejecting $200 dates and choosing 'solo-maxxing'—and dating apps are taking a hit
Economy
Gen Z is rejecting $200 dates and choosing 'solo-maxxing'—and dating apps are taking a hit
By Sydney LakeMay 30, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 29, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 29, 2026
2 days ago
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
Innovation
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.