Why Guns Are Not a Good Investment

As you probably know, Americans love guns. Since the dawn of our country firearms have played prominent roles in politics and society. Currently half of American households own a gun and many others advocate the rights of the individual to bear arms*. While firearms are a hugely controversial political and social issue, the focus of this posting is purely on the impact of firearms ownership for personal finance. From a strictly monetary standpoint, firearms are NOT a good pecuniary investment.

Guns are financial liabilities. By this, I mean two things. First, guns often depreciate in value after they are bought. Second, owning a gun often obligates one to purchase a number of other things as well. For example, if you own a firearm, you might need to pay for:

1) Higher insurance premiums
2) Costs for ammunition and accessories
3) Costs for security, safes, trigger guards and the like
4) Fees or expenditures for target shooting

Some of these expenditures can be quite hefty. For example, a large gun safe can cost several hundred dollars. The cost of even a modest amount of ammunition can easily run upwards of $50 or more – especially considering current prices.

Generally speaking, if you are interested in building wealth, you should be putting your money into investments that will improve your financial bottom line, NOT buying guns or other depreciating assets.

*Click here for more from wikipedia.

And incidentally if you are reading this because you actually want to find a firearm that will appreciate in value, Dinks isn’t the best site for that.  Instead you should check out Sharp Shooter Society.  They have plenty of firearms reviews, including which 380 Pistol is best, and others.