Why is there so little protection for the consumer in the firearms business in the U.S.?

The firearms industry is probably the most heavily-regulated industry in the U.S., with the POSSIBLE exception of the private space industry (and with the changes since the X-Prize, and the entry of Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen and airline mogul Richard Branson into the space business, that might not even be true anymore).

But all of the regulation of the firearms industry seems to be aimed at RESTRICTING the products, keeping them out of the hands of the general population, and driving suppliers out of business.

The gun business is notorious for poor customer service. For every diligent company that gives great quality like, say, Tapco, there are a zillion fly-by-night outfits selling accessories that don't work, magazines that won't feed, "aftermarket" things that function poorly or not at all, and of course, no refunds allowed.

There's a "lemon" law for cars. Why, with all of these harsh rules and regulations, are there so few protections for the firearms consumer?

What you say makes a lot of sense, Eddy. It might very well be a question of "big ticket" items.

Okay, you are discussing two different items here. Firearms and Firearms Accessories.

In general, firearms companies stand behind their product quite well. In fact, as people expect a firearm to last much longer than a new cellphone, when you think of how old some guns are that are still functioning fine, it is quite astounding.

As far as accessories that don't work and magazines that don't feed well, for the most part all that junk is sold by small little companies cashing in on the stupid 'tacticool' crowd. Guess what, car lemon laws don't cover all the little accessories you can get for your car that don't work worth a crap either. If you look at any accessories market, it is bascially throw away junk, it just happens that firearms accessories are normaly given much more demanding tasks. Think of all the $2.00 flashlights that don't last or all the waterbottles where the clip breaks off, or the thousands of other little gadgets that just don't last.

The US has become a throw-away culture, where everything is outdated in 4 years, and if it breaks, don't bother fixing it, just buy a new one. Guns are one of the few exceptions to this

The politics of blaming the firearms industry for gun related violence has led to regulations placing restrictions on the products, as you point out. But there aren't many high profile incidents of gun consumers needing protection. So politicians and officials aren't pressured to protect gun consumers.

Another aspect is the dollar amounts typically involved. You mention the lemon laws for cars. There are also disclosure laws for real estate. But these are big ticket items with costs that are in excess of tens of thousands of dollars. Passing special regulations for guns costing $1,000 might have some asking if we need special regulations for household appliances and similarly priced items.

There could be a bunch of regulations that I've overlooked, but my gut tells me that we're not in a special category of consumers.

I've had problems at gun shows. I stick with gun shops that I know and name brands now. Gun shows are good for camo pants and back packs.
it sucks too.......they tried to ban gun shows where i live but all us "hicks" stopped shopping there all together, so they brought them back. I still go and try to spend a few bucks to show support but I don't buy anything important.

Where are you shopping? The big companies like Ruger, Leupold, and RCBS have a strong record of customer satisfaction. They go out of their way to ensure satisfaction. The few times I&#