According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just under one-third of Americans admit to owning firearms. Additionally, about 40% of people say they live in households with at least one firearm in them.
Are you interested in becoming a firearm owner for the first time? Or would you like to add another firearm to your growing gun collection? Either way, it’s important for you to carefully consider both new and used firearms before deciding which one you would like to buy.
So, which is the better option? Many pros and cons come along with purchasing both new and used firearms. It’ll be up to you to learn about all of them before coming to a final decision on whether you wish to invest in a new or used gun.
Check out the pros and cons of buying new vs. used firearms below and weigh each one so that you’re able to land on the right option in the end.
The Pros of Buying a New Firearm
Studies have suggested that the vast majority of firearms sold in the U.S. each year are brand-new guns going to new gun owners. One study performed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation found that about 30% of all the firearms sold in the U.S. annually are new guns purchased by new gun owners. Many existing gun owners also opt to buy new firearms every year.
So, why do so many Americans choose to buy new firearms vs. used ones? Here are some of the pros of buying a new firearm that help explain it.
Large Selection
If you decide to purchase a used gun vs. a new gun, you might be relatively limited in what you can buy at any given moment. You’ll only have the chance to choose from used guns that people have opted to part ways with at the time when you’re in the market for a firearm.
This problem won’t be an issue when you invest in a new firearm. In this case, you can choose from a much more extensive selection and access just about any gun you want.
You can also take your time when you’re buying a new gun since you shouldn’t have to worry about the firearm you want selling out anytime soon. This can result in a more pleasant gun-buying experience overall.
Great Warranty
If something goes wrong with a new firearm while you’re using it, you won’t have to worry about returning it to the store you bought it from to fix the issue. A new gun should come with an extended warranty that will allow you to maintain and repair it without spending a small fortune, if anything at all, to do it.
The same can’t always be said for used firearms. While some of these firearms might have warranties that will run for a few weeks or months, they won’t be comprehensive enough to cover all issues you might have with a gun. You’ll feel much better with the warranty that a new firearm will provide.
Added Peace of Mind
If you buy a used firearm, you might not know:
- How often it was used in the past
- How well it was cared for, maintained, and repaired
- What it may have been used for (it could have been involved in criminal activities, for all you know!)
- Which modifications were made to it
- How many people have owned it over time
All these aspects can make utilizing a used firearm more stressful than it might seem. You’ll appreciate the peace of mind you receive when you invest in a new firearm instead. You will know everything you need to know about a new gun from the beginning, and it’ll make you feel more comfortable putting it to good use.
The Cons of Buying a New Firearm
As you’ve just seen, buying a new firearm comes with a long list of benefits that you simply won’t get from a used firearm. But at the same time, you’ll also need to deal with a handful of disadvantages of buying a new firearm that might make you rethink your initial decision.
What are the potential downsides of buying a new firearm vs. investing in a used one? Let’s take a look at this next so that you can inch closer to deciding if a new or used gun is the right option for you.
High Cost
If you’re in the market for, say, a handgun, you can expect to pay anywhere from $600 to $1,200 for a new one on average. A rifle or a larger option will set you back even more than when you purchase a new one vs. a used one.
If cost is a significant concern when you’re picking out a firearm, you may want to give thought to going with a used gun rather than a new one. Used firearms typically cost just a fraction of what new ones will, even though they’ll enable you to achieve many of the same goals when you have one in your hand.
Few Aftermarket Modifications
You can usually make at least some aftermarket modifications to almost any firearm that you decide to buy and bring home with you. But since new firearms haven’t been available for as long as used ones, you might find that there will be fewer aftermarket modifications out there for new guns than used ones.
You might also discover that you don’t mind modifying a used firearm as much as you would a new firearm. A used gun might already have some obvious signs of wear and tear on it, so you may feel better about tinkering with it.
More Depreciation
Do you know how the average new car will depreciate by around 10% as soon as you drive it off a dealer’s lot and depreciate by about 20% during its first year alone? This is one of the worst parts of buying a new car — and the same can also be said for buying a new firearm.
While new firearms won’t depreciate quite as rapidly as new cars will, you can expect to experience some depreciation with a new gun throughout the first few years you own it. If you have to turn around and sell a new gun for one reason or another, it will likely lead to you losing at least some money on the deal.
On the other hand, a used firearm won’t depreciate nearly as much when you first purchase it. It also shouldn’t depreciate much in the years to come. If you choose to sell it at any point, you might even be able to make a small profit depending on what type of firearm it is and how much demand exists for it.
The Pros of Buying a Used Firearm
Now that you know about the pros and cons of buying a new firearm, it’s time to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying a used firearm. This will help you consider both options equally as you strive to decide which option you should ultimately go with.
The Firearm Industry Trade Association reports that about 16 million guns are sold in the U.S. annually these days — and at least some of them are used options. See the pros of taking this approach to purchasing a firearm first.
Low Cost
Are you going to have a tight budget when buying a gun? Then, going with a used firearm will prove to be an excellent way to get your hands on one — without breaking the bank!
Though the price of used firearms varies depending on everything from their condition to the demand that exists for specific models, they’re almost always going to cost significantly less than new guns.
Plenty of Customization Options
If you’re already thinking about all the different ways in which you plan to customize a firearm to make it unique, choosing a new gun vs. a used one might limit your options. As we alluded to earlier, new guns don’t always have as many aftermarket modifications available as existing ones do.
You might also find that you’ll like breathing new life back into a used gun once you acquire it thanks to the customization options for it. You may even be able to make a used firearm look like it’s brand-new again by finding different ways to personalize it.
Little to No Depreciation
As soon as you take a new firearm home, it’s likely going to be worth a lot less than it was just hours before when it was still sitting in a gun shop. This is the price you’ll pay for owning a new firearm vs. a used one.
This problem won’t be an issue when you decide to buy a used firearm as opposed to a new one. Used firearms won’t depreciate as much as new ones do, if they depreciate at all. This can come in handy if you find yourself in a position where you must sell a gun within just a year or two of buying it.
The Cons of Buying a Used Firearm
Buying used firearms is the preferred option for many gun owners who want to invest in great guns that cost just a percentage of what new ones do. You can find so many fantastic deals on used guns that you won’t find when shopping for new guns.
There are, however, a few cons of buying a used firearm that should be on your radar if you’re still on the fence about which direction to go in. Keep the following factors in mind.
Increased Wear and Tear
Unless someone took extremely good care of a used firearm, it’s probably going to have at least some wear and tear. This is something you’ll need to be ready to live with when you go with a used firearm.
Just be sure it doesn’t have too much wear and tear on it since this could suggest it wasn’t well-maintained and might not last long. You could put yourself in a tough spot if you purchase a used gun that isn’t in great shape and you have no choice but to replace it in a few months.
Unknown History
When you invest in a used firearm, you should try to find out everything you possibly can about it. It would be good to know:
- When a firearm was manufactured
- How many owners a firearm had previously
- What a firearm was used for in the past
But even if you do your due diligence on a used firearm, there might still be a few things you don’t know about that will always loom large. This alone could cause you to worry more than you would if you were to buy a new firearm.
Lack of Warranty Coverage
Some used firearms might come with surprisingly decent warranties on them that you can utilize to make necessary repairs after buying them. Others might not come with any warranties at all.
A lack of warranty coverage could leave you searching for another gun before long if a used firearm conks out on you shortly after you purchase it. The lengthy warranty a new firearm can provide might make the additional investment you’ll need to make in it worth the extra cost.
Start Shopping for a New or Used Firearm
Buying a firearm is a big decision that you should not take lightly. You should think long and hard about which type of gun you want, how much you wish to spend on it, and which brand you want to rely on to provide you with it.
You should also spend your fair share of time considering whether a new or used firearm would be the right option. Shop around for both options to see what’s out there — and settle on the one that will check all the right boxes for you.
Author Bio:
Jordan McDowell is a writer and second amendment rights advocate. As a proud advocate for responsible gun rights nationwide, he writes about recreational hunting as well as the latest developments in state and national legislation.
[Note: this was a guest post.]
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