TheGunBlog.ca — Rudy Venditelli, the owner of Dante Inc., one of Canada’s biggest independent gun stores, comments below on business, the market outlook, and the effects of the governing Liberal Party’s May 1 firearm-confiscation order.
TheGunBlog.ca edited the interview from a series of e-mail and phone conversations from May until now.
Venditelli, who took over Montreal-based Dante from his father in 1982, reviewed the comments on July 29.
Q&A With Dante Owner Rudy Venditelli
Current Business
How’s business for you?
Business is good and our morale is up and positive!
Sales of guns and ammo have been steady for the past five months now, and things look good, notwithstanding “ALL” the negative aspects we are confronted with.
How do you manage the negative aspects?
I have been at this for over 45 years and my passion and work ethic are at a very high standard.
We have worked very hard and diligently to build this business that my dad started in 1956, and the “SHOW MUST GO ON.”
The pendulum will shift again and this government will be defeated one day.
What’s the reason for the high sales?
Our reason for high sales is many things, mainly having the right inventory and the right amount of inventory, having a good relationship with the many suppliers we deal with, having employees who care for the customers and giving them the right time, and not having all your eggs in the same basket.
We immediately found items that consumers wanted and that had the AR compatibility to go along with them.
Product Shortages
Several stores are reporting shortages of certain guns and ammo types. Are you getting resupplied, or is that affecting you, too?
In reality we have not suffered much with shortages because we forecast well and kept our inventories nice and healthy.
My father always used to tell us, “You can’t sell out of an empty wagon.”
Market Outlook
How’s your outlook for the rest of the year?
The rest of the year looks good as well.
Hunting and sport shooting remain the bread and butter of our business, and we do everything to cater to these customers.
Our inventory of hunting rifles and shotguns is well stocked and we are ready to move ahead.
You have a constraint that stores outside Quebec don’t have, which is the requirement to register every new buyer of every “Non-restricted” rifle and shotgun with the provincial government.
For every one of those products that we sell, we have to look up the data, combine it and enter it in the format the government wants.
It consumes lots of our time just in bureaucracy, and we have to comply. It’s the law in the province.
When you add up the time for us to do that, it costs me tens of thousands of dollars every year, more than the salary for a full-time employee.
Confiscation Order
What’s your view of the May 1 cabinet confiscation order?
I have to admit, I am having a very rough time with all these Orders in Council.
I hope something gives in the future, this cannot continue.
What has happened to our industry and the many responsible Canadian gun owners is just not fair and right in a so-called “democracy.”
We must move ahead and fight tyranny and lies!
I strongly believe the current government will pay a heavy political price for their arrogance and disrespect of others. That includes gun owners and all Canadians. This government has lied to all Canadians.
A lot of companies and individuals are supporting the court challenges.
I just donated to one of the fundraisers.
The more lawsuits against the government, the better!
Some judges out there might just understand what kind of unjust and arrogant government we have at this moment.
We have nothing to lose and all to gain!
What influence does this government have on your business?
The current government remains my source of uncertainty, and as long as they are in the driver’s seat we will have to find new ideas and new ways to do business.
The Conservatives do not impress me at this moment and we all hope they get their act together soon!
I just sent them a nice donation and made sure that the prime minister, the minister of public safety, my local MP, and others know that gun owners are very upset at them.
Related
- Liberal Gun Bans page
- Industry reports
- Ban reports