We’ve seen it time and again: when a Republican is in the White House, firearm sales slow down. The fear of looming gun bans fades, and casual gun buyers stop stocking up.
That drop in urgency trickles into the gun rights movement too, where nonprofits and grassroots groups have to fight harder to raise money from supporters who think the battle is already won.
The gun industry is now calling the newest iteration of this environment another “Trump Slump.”
“It’s simple: people feel safe under Trump, so they let their guard down,” said Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights. “But that’s exactly when the gun control crowd doubles down. If pro-gunners sit on the sidelines now, we’ll wake up to a very different state in a few years.”
What the Trump Slump Really Means
The Trump Slump is shorthand for a paradox: gun sales and pro-gun donations spike under Democrats and sag under Republicans. With Joe Biden in office, the firearms industry saw record-breaking sales of guns and ammunition. But under Donald Trump in his first term — and now again under his current administration — the sense of urgency has declined.
The result? Gun manufacturers slow production as sales suffer — some even go out of business — ammo stocks stabilize, and gun rights groups face the same challenge: less cash flowing in from members who think their rights are secure.
Compounding that problem now is the rise of AI filtering. As AmmoLand has documented, search engines and Big Tech platforms are choking off visibility for firearms-related news and content, siphoning away ad revenue and traffic from pro-gun outlets. That means less exposure, less mobilization, and fewer resources.
A Dangerous Time to Go Quiet
McNutt warned that complacency in this environment could be disastrous. “The Trump Slump is real, and it’s dangerous. If gun owners get lulled to sleep, the Bloomberg-Soros machine will eat us alive. This is the time to go on offense, pass pro-gun legislation, and expand our majorities, not sit back and coast.”
Indeed, the stakes in Texas couldn’t be higher. U.S. Senator John Cornyn is locked in a tight primary race against Attorney General Ken Paxton, with Paxton leading since his announcement.
Thanks to redistricting, pro-gun Texans now have the chance to flip five anti-gun Democrat seats. And beyond that, accountability fights loom against weak Republicans like Dan Crenshaw and Tony Gonzales, who have both supported gun control compromises.
“This is the biggest opportunity in a decade to reshape Texas politics in favor of the Second Amendment,” McNutt said. “But if we miss it because people are comfortable under Trump, we will regret it for years to come.”
The Bloomberg-Soros Machine Is Targeting Texas
While grassroots conservatives catch their breath, anti-gun billionaires aren’t slowing down.
Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, and national gun control groups are doubling down on Texas, pouring millions of dollars into long-term campaigns to chip away at Republican majorities and eventually flip Texas blue. Their goal is clear: weaken Texas, weakening the nation’s pro-gun firewall.
“The left knows if they can take Texas, they can take America. That’s why they’re spending millions here while some conservatives are sitting on their wallets,” McNutt warned. “We can’t let that happen.”
Why Membership and Donations Matter Now
Texas Gun Rights is on the front lines, leading the fight to identify pro-gun candidates, expose anti-gun politicians, and mobilize tens of thousands of gun owners. But those programs don’t run on promises. Without new memberships and donations, TXGR’s election accountability campaigns will stall — and the opportunity to secure Texas as the nation’s pro-gun bulwark could be lost.
“We’re not going to outspend Bloomberg and Soros,” McNutt admitted. “But we can outwork them — if our members and supporters step up. This is the moment. Every dollar means more grassroots heat on politicians who’d rather cut deals than defend your rights.”
The Trump Slump may be hitting the firearms industry and gun rights groups alike, but the Second Amendment doesn’t get a holiday. The time to fight is now. “When gun owners go quiet, gun controllers win. It’s that simple. If we want to keep Texas free, we can’t fall asleep just because Trump is in the White House. We need to double down and press the advantage,” McNutt concluded.
What is the NRA doing with the millions of $$$ that they still have???
Funding a lot of lawfare lately but obviously could do more.