Safe Spaces

Our industry has welcomed millions of new gun owners to its ranks during the past four years. After purchasing that new firearm and all the essential accessories to accompany it, the added cost of a gun safe might seem like an unnecessary expense to some first-time gun owners. The reality, though, is that safely storing firearms is one of the most important responsibilities of gun ownership, and it should never be overlooked or undervalued. That’s why in this issue you’ll see an article on selling gun safes. The main body text focuses on key features of gun safes, such as size, security features, and fireproof ratings. But to me, the real meat of the article is our interview with Stephen Hall, co-founder/CEO of Lock It Up Safes, an Oklahoma retailer that specializes in safes.

Hall told SHOT Business that when a customer enters the store, he and his staff start by asking a few basic questions. The range of questions includes safe size, location (house or garage), and intended use. “By that I mean their main concerns—fire, theft, or just keeping guns out of reach of children,” he says. The answers to these questions help Hall and his staff pinpoint particular models for the customer to consider.

Interestingly, Hall says, “We rarely ask what their budget is. Instead, we start off with a good, better, and best choice. Typically, most guests opt for a good or better safe, mainly due to budget considerations.”

Because safes can be cumbersome objects that take up a lot of storage space, some retailers prefer not to carry them. That’s fine, but you’ll do your customer a favor by recommending a retailer that not only can sell a gun safe, but has the knowledge and expertise to install it correctly.

I’d also like to direct your attention to “Does ChatGPT Belong in Your Business?”  Michelle Scheurmann has written about the benefits and pitfalls of social media for SHOT Business. Here she takes a closer look at Artificial Intelligence (AI), which seems to be in the news nearly every day. When she first pitched the article me, I instantly thought of Skynet (the artificial intelligence entity in the sci-fi classic Terminator franchise). But at this point, AI is a bit more mundane. She notes that many of us already use AI and may not even know it. (Do you log onto to your smartphone with facial recognition? If you do, you’re using AI.) As she notes: “We are just entering the AI age, and for many it’s uncharted territory. But it’s here to stay. As a retailer or manufacturer, you should look closely at how best to use this new tool to your advantage.”