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With all the unfortunate school shootings and other events that have prompted congress to push stronger legislation on gun control, this article shows how that has created a huge spike in firearm sales in the last few months. For those of you who sell guns at your stores, have you seen a spike in sales as a result of articles like this and other things you have been hearing on the news? PawnMaster pawn software does a great job of helping you stay compliant with our gun log and police reporting functionality. If you would like to know more about how we can help your store call us now 888-949-7296 or leave us a comment below. We would love to hear your comments or concerns.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2013/01/07/gun-sales-exploded-to-record-highs-in-dec-amid-anti-firearm-fear/

Gun sales reached at least a 14-year high last month, according to a widely used, if imperfect, measure.

The FBI processed 2.78 million background checks through its national database (NICS), meaning last month was the busiest month ever for gun-sellers since NICS began in 1998. For contrast,  authorities in Dec. 2007 processed 1.23 million checks, and five years before that, in 2002, only 974,000 checks.

Last month’s record-setting pace was the result of two deadly shootings in a month’s time, which significantly increased the likelihood that President Obama and Congressional Democrats would draft anti-gun legislation. But even before the massacre at Sandy Hook and the ambush outside Rochester, N.Y., gun sales were markedly higher, driven there by suspicion that the president would push for tighter restrictions. Last November was another record-busting month: 2 million NICS checks.

Now, with the creation of a task force led by Vice President Joe Biden, it seems that the White House will indeed lead a charge; increased criticism has already been directed toward retailers like Wal-Mart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabela’s—all sell firearms, including the type of high-powered rifle used in the attacks—and some gun shows have even been cancelled. Expect this surge in gun sales to continue.

The NICS checks serve only as a rough proxy for sales, but can gauge broad sentiment. The largest gun manufacturers are closely held entities, and as such, don’t report their figures. Public gun companies, Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger, as well as the private-equity backed Freedom Group, report on a quarterly basis. And NICS has several loopholes. Examples: it’s used only by federally licensed retailers, so some gun show sales go uncounted, and a firearm owner with a permit would not be checked when buying a second weapon.

Still, you can see the irony here: A shooting claims a great deal of lives, fear increases that anti-gun legislation will follow and folks promptly head out to stock up. Consider that during last July and August, months with two other deadly shootings, NICS background checks rose by more than 12%, to 2.8 million.

Greater irony still when you consider the politics behind this. While Democrats are among the loudest voices for new gun legislation, nothing has been better for the gun industry than President Obama. In 2007, the FBI processed 11.1 million checks through NICS. Last year, that figure was up 43% to 19.6 billion. In this period, President Obama needed to wrestle with far greater problems than gun control, and he made scant mention of it. Merely his presence in the White House was enough to stoke fear. The largest sales day in gun history came on the Black Friday after his first election, then again this year, when the NICS system crashed twice in late November, weeks after Obama’s reelection. It all adds up to a big business—just the recreational element of guns accounts for $4 billion annually.

Reach Abram Brown at abrown@forbes.com.

Pawn shop owner works to change industry’s image
By Mike Elswick melswick@news-journal.com

One of the most critical hires the firm has made over the past 5 years has been hiring Len Summa. Len brings a highly decorated and very successful business track record to Data Age. His accolades have been achieved through dedication and methodology driven by hard work, sound process, tightly woven and highly collaborative communication principals, which are all driven by an unmatched passion to see everyone succeed. Len not only preaches The TEAM concept, we assure you, he lives it. His skills and successes in the sales arena are well-documented. Len also brings with him over 20 years of software business operations experience where he was tasked to ensure the financial health of several software firms. As we press forward, we have realized the company needs to have one focal leader to ensure all departments are operating at peak efficiency as we accelerate our growth efforts.

Len started here at Data Age as our Sales Director, then within the first two months moved up to the role of VP of Sales and Marketing. At this time we would like to re-introduce Len Summa as Data Age’s Chief Operational Office (COO). Len’s role will always be to ensure our firm is securing new revenues but will also ensure each department is operating efficiently as we run our company day in and day out. These are exciting times for our firm and we are very confident in Len and the rest of the team, as we strive for great success. Congratulations Len!!!

By James Walsh
Times Herald-Record
Published: – 11/25/12

NEW WINDSOR — It can be a place to go for an emergency loan, or maybe to buy a chain saw.

Those with romance on their minds can get engagement rings. Others, looking to make a few bucks, lug in treasures mined from basements and attics.

It’s the modern pawnshop, exemplified in Orange County by businesses in Central Valley, Middletown, New Windsor and the Town of Wallkill.

Not all are alike.

World of Pawn in Wallkill is heavily into tools and machines. Fort Knox Jewelry and Loan in Central Valley is a jewelry store where the stock also includes watches and coins. Its sister business in New Windsor, Fort Knox Super Pawn and Thrift Shop, is the company’s flagship, said Stephen Rinaldo, director of operations.

“You can buy a WeedWacker there or a Rolex watch,” Rinaldo said. “It’s a true pawnshop.”

The wares were indeed an eclectic mix: power and hand tools, antique weaponry, musical instruments, a fancy Mexican-tooled western saddle, and even an autographed and authenticated pair of Johnny Damon’s Yankees shower shoes.

Reality TV shows boost interest

Hudson Valley Pawnbrokers of Middletown is entering its busy season, said manager Rob Ambrose.

“Sales go up this time of year,” Ambrose said. “The whole business in general picks up during the holidays.”

He credits reality TV shows about pawnbroking for generating interest in the shop’s wares. “All the shows on TV bring people in,” said Ambrose, who’s seen customers wanting to pawn or sell items ranging from more than three dozen baseballs signed by Hall of Famers, to harpoons, to a flint gun used to ignite gas lamps on city streets.

State regulates interest rate

Rinaldo and Vinnie Formisano, manager of the New Windsor store, believe some people have mistaken impressions about the pawn business. The stores aren’t dark and dusty with unsavory characters hanging around. And they’re not like their TV versions, where every day brings the rarest of antiques to the counter.

“What you have, basically, is middle-class, hard-working people,” Formisano said. “The transmission on the car goes and they need a loan for a week or two.”

Superstorm Sandy sent people to pawnshops like it did to hardware stores.

“We sold out all of our generators,” Rinaldo said, “and we were able to help a lot of people out with short-term loans.”

The business wasn’t hampered by the downed computers and closed offices that affected some banks, said Chris Romano, head of jewelry and merchandising at Fort Knox in Central Valley.

“This time of year, we’re lending more money,” Rinaldo said. “People need holiday cash. A lot of customers have been affected by the economy. They’re not broke, but they may not have credit, and they come here for a short-term loan.”

The interest rate — 4 percent per month — is regulated by the state. Loans are for four months, and can be renewed. Additional interest may be charged for storage of large items.

“We’ve done loans on contractor’s trucks,” Romano said. “A contractor has trucks he’s not using, and he needs money to start a new project. A bank isn’t going to give you credit on your dump truck.”

Some customers seeking to sell

Besides people looking for loans, there are customers looking to sell items ranging from furs to snowmobiles.

John Connolly of Newburgh was at the New Windsor store recently, intending to sell a keyboard and a cymbal from a drum kit.

“I have stuff lying around that I don’t need anymore,” Connolly said.

Others, like Valentino Mann of Monroe, come in to buy. He was in the market for a chain saw.

“I want to see if they have one here that’s cheaper than what they charge at the store,” said Mann.

Rinaldo finds that 90 percent of customers repay their loans and take back their merchandise.

“We don’t want them to forfeit their stuff,” Formisano said, “because they’ll come back and take a loan on it again.”

What are your thoughts on this article? Comment below.

Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy or lease a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the full purchase price from your gross income. It’s an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage small businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves.

Who Qualifies?

All businesses that purchase, finance, and/or lease less than $560,000 in new or used business equipment during tax year 2012 should qualify for the Section 179 Deduction. If a business is unprofitable in 2012, and has no taxable income to use the deduction, that business can elect to use 50% Bonus Depreciation and carry-forward to a year when the business is profitable.

You can learn more by visiting the http://www.section179.org/.

We hope this information helps! If you need items to purchase so you can utilize this tax relief please give one of our qualified industry specialists a call today 888-949-7296.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/199069/153/Stocking-Up-on-Guns-Before-Election

At Howard’s Pawn shop in Macon, owner Howard Reed says it’s all about “faith, family, and firearms.”

And with the presidential election only a month away, Reed has aired ads on the radio for his pawn shop encouraging people to “stock up” on guns before November.

“We were merely reminding people of the way our industry was affected before, and our ad is entirely to encourage people to come get products while we have them.”

But the ad is also controversial because, according to Bryan Williams, a political science professor at Mercer University, it plays to the fears some people have that President Obama and Democrats would take away guns if re-elected.

“Any rhetoric that’s going to instigate fear is going to be money in the bank for somebody who sells the antidote for fear, which is a handgun.”

Reed says in the months before the last presidential election in 2008, he saw a major spike in people coming in to his shop to purchase guns before the election.  “It was just like someone turned on a faucet, and I mean it was wide open, ‘I want two of this,’ ’2,000 rounds of that.’”

Reed says he is concerned about President Obama being re-elected because of the United Nations’ efforts to limit guns.  He says it’s in part what motivates people to buy guns before an election. “There was fear in the hearts and guts of people nationwide or else what happened before, wouldn’t have happened.”

Despite their concerns, though, Professor Williams says President Obama has actually been criticized by many liberal groups for not being tough enough on gun laws, and that there is no indication that he would try to infringe upon the Second Amendment in a second term.

But he says the tactics employed by the pawn shop are actually common, and have been in use even before President Obama was elected.  Many pawn shops began airing similar ads as early as 2006, when the Democrats took control of Congress during the Bush administration.

We would love your comments about this. Do you think this is a good way to “scare” people into buying guns?