19.03.2024

Bulk buying ammunition before pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a major blow to the civilian small arms market, while production within the framework of the defense defense order does not undergo drastic changes, few are waiting for the apocalypse, and after the end of the pandemic, the demand for unlicensed protective equipment may increase, according to the famous Russian expert in the field of small arms Maxim Popenker .

Previously, various studies were published in the media, according to which in March-April, sales of cartridges for civilian weapons increased significantly. Such a study, in particular, at the end of March published an edition of RBC.

“The mass purchase of cartridges, which was reported in the media, I associate with the fact that then, after the end of the pandemic, the prices of these products will rise, and people with free cash resources decided to“ stock up ”in advance. According to what they write in the media and in social networks, it’s hard to understand what the massive purchase of equipment and ammunition is actually connected with, but there are very few people who are seriously waiting for the apocalypse, ”Popenker said.

He also predicted the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for civilian and military markets. “As for the military component of this industry, I doubt that there will be any radical changes. Yes, people have become more difficult to work in these conditions, the logistics inside the enterprise have also become more complicated, but the volume of orders has not gone away, and the plants continue to fulfill the state defense order,” — said the expert.

The civilian market, according to Popenker, will certainly suffer. “Here you can cite the example of spring hunting, which is now prohibited or very limited. Hence the lack of demand for ammunition and equipment. There are many hunters in our country, these are hundreds of thousands of people, so a pandemic in this sense is a very strong blow to the arms market «- he explained.

According to the interlocutor of the agency, something was compensated by people who are always preparing for some kind of apocalypse and buying everything they see from the shelves, but this is not a very strong help for ammunition and equipment manufacturers.

«Plus, you need to understand that we do not live in the United States, so only those who have passed the relevant checks and have all the necessary documents can buy a rifle or ammunition. In general, sales of weapons and ammunition sagged, this is obvious,» Popenker said.

Speaking about the supply of civilian weapons for export, the agency’s interlocutor recalled that the once-mainstream American market for Russia has been closed for several years.
«The supply to our main market — the USA — has long been closed due to sanctions, despite the fact that the Americans were ready to buy our weapons in tens and hundreds of thousands of units. So it is unlikely that the COVID-2019 pandemic played or will play a big role. Sales military equipment goes through other channels and other volumes and the virus is unlikely to change anything. Yes, there may again be logistic problems, but at this level all this can be solved, «the expert explained.

Popenker does not forecast a sharp increase in demand for weapons and ammunition after the pandemic for two reasons. «The first is the lack of supply. Now, due to the fact that sales have fallen sharply, it also makes no sense for manufacturers to work in the volumes in which they did it before the epidemiological situation worsened,» he said.

The second reason, according to the expert, is the solvency of citizens. “There will be obvious problems with this after the crisis. In this situation, I think there will be a boom in the secondary market — people will sell what they bought before the pandemic. I also believe that there will be a rise in demand for unlicensed protective equipment: gas cartridges, stun guns, and so on.” further, because with the deterioration of the economic situation, the level of crime is likely to increase, «Popenker summed up.

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