A couple who sell imported guns from Italy and Spain say the firearms they sell can go for anywhere from $1,500 to $20,000.
And there are plenty of buyers – even at the top end – because most are handmade.
Will and Donna Bilozir of Bilozir Fine Guns, a firearms importing and shotgun reloading business near De Winton, operated a booth during the second annual Olds Gun and Antique Show Aug. 20 and 21 in the Cow Palace.
Will says the attraction for buyers is twofold: they're beautiful, and they'll last a long time.
“If somebody wants to buy a gun, it's designed for 40,000 shots. They can buy it in their 20s and it won't wear out in their lifetime,” he says.
“So the idea is that you're buying heirloom-grade or investment-grade guns that will last a lifetime and your kids will probably argue over who inherits them.”
He says that's actually happened in one case. Parents who had bought one gun decided to buy a second identical one because their two sons were arguing over who would inherit it.
There's another advantage, Will says.
“The other thing I guess that's significant is that the Euro has not gone up like the U.S. dollar,” he says.
“So over the last few years, while the prices of American guns – Brownings and so on – have been going up quite sharply, the Italian stuff really hasn't changed that much. It's a little more expensive, but not significantly.”
“This is hand-engraved, hand-shaped exhibition-grade wood and, well, they're gorgeous,” Will says. “They're beautiful, beautiful guns and what makes them expensive, of course, is hand-making takes a lot more time and a lot more skill.
“But the result is you've got an investment-grade gun,” he says, adding, “it's kind of like buying the very high-grade car like a Ferrari. They don't depreciate very much.”
The Belozirs got into the European gun importing and selling business about nine years ago when a friend said he wanted to buy a particular Italian gun but couldn't find one.
Will said he'd do that for him but he too couldn't find a retailer for that gun anywhere in Canada, so he contacted the company and agreed to be its dealer. That association led to connections with other European gun makers.
Will says over the years, due to concerns about terrorism, it's become increasingly difficult to import firearms, due to tighter regulations in both Canada and Europe.
He says it now takes roughly a month to get all the paperwork done before guns can be shipped.
But he says it's a lot harder to import guns into the U.S. than Canada. He says it now takes about six months to complete that process.
"The result is you've got an investment-grade gun," he says, adding, "it's kind of like buying the very high-grade car like a Ferrari. They don't depreciate very much." WILL BILOZIRGUN IMPORTER
