Are there laws preventing advertising of guns on TV?
 

I never see gun companies running ads on TV. Even on shows about hunting or shooting. You expect that during top shot or the IDPA nationals or something youd see smith and wesson or reminmgton, one of the big names would be running an ad or two. I know that the anti tobacco people made it illegal to run cigarette ads on tv, wondering if the anti gunners did the same or if gun companies just dont want to air ads?

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I remember seeing a commercial for some brand of ammunition years ago. It was during an early morning broadcast of some outdoors type show on TNN, before it became Spike TV.

Those guys got Pwned by a chick!

I've a Smith & Wesson ad on a hunting channel or something, and I've seen a locally made commercial for a local gun store too.

Outdoor Channel runs gun ads all the time

Ads are also regional, so its different in different parts of the country.

This blog points out the obvious:

(Of course, he forgot to mention that IMFDB helps out, too. :D )

Anyway, as best I know, there are no laws preventing gun manufacturers from advertising on TV (whether or not network execs would accept gun manufacturers' money for advertising is another story). I think the more likely explanation is that gun manufacturers have simply never tried to produce or sell TV commercials.

Think about how much it costs to run an advertisement on primetime television. Then think about the size/target demographic of the American gun industry compared to almost any other industry. It wouldn't make sense from a cost-benefit perspective. Even though there are a lot of gun owners in America, guns are still a niche market compared to any other consumer product - cars, computers, cosmetics. There may be 80 million gun owners in America, but there are 300 million people who will always (at some point) be in the market for a new car, a new laptop, some awesome new cologne guaranteed to get them laid, etc. Gun manufacturers are targeting a specific group of people who they know will almost always read gun rags or visit gun sites. Whereas other consumer products manufacturers are constantly competing with each other for the attention of the entire American public.

And I don't know about y'all, but my HDTV almost never gets used for anything besides watching Blu-Rays and playing Xbox360. I watch all of my favorite TV shows (like "Chuck") on Hulu. Most of my friends and acquaintances do the same. At this point, it would make no sense for gun manufacturers to advertise through a dying medium.

They still have print ads...

http://imgur.com/spcMF.jpg

Frankly, I'm surprised that a gun company hasn't outright paid for product placement in a show yet. Car companies, computer companies, soft drink companies pay for product placement all the time, yet I've never seen a gun company do it. I guess 24 comes the closest, but they still featured a lot of non-HK guns. I guess the logistics would be a bit harder, as they'd have to go through the armorers, but I think it'd be worth it.

ive seen 24 seasons where it does seem they got advertisements, besides the obvious HK, in some seasons every car driven is a ford, jack steals like 2 tauruses, drives an expedition as a personal car, secret service have excursions instead of a suburban, things like that. I"n the most recent season he says "springfield, m1a, .308" when he never identifies guns by name.....

I see the argument about a "niche" market but you expect some ads during shooting shows, like world skeet shooting championships may want to advertise shotguns.

I was under the impression that Walther had something to do with James Bond upgrading to the P5 and later the P99.

Good point. (And the WA2000 in Living Daylights.) The entire franchise has whored itself out in terms of product placement. But with the guns, it's not as blatant. With the P99, he mentions the name of the gun once, and then never again. And I don't remember him mentioning the names of either the P5 or WA2000. Other "good guys" use non-Walther guns with as much fanfare. I wonder if another company can swoop in and get the Bond placement. (In the books, he uses as ASP.)

Speaking of, has anyone seen any print ads or any such promotional material from Walther featuring Bond?

Because ASP's are way better than PPK's

I think the book went beretta 950, ppk 32, asp, in that order. And he got a smith and wesson 38 revovler once.

Well, I guess over time he realized that "wait, this Beretta is a piece of junk" and bought a PPK. When he figured out his .32 took a half a mag to kill someone, he finally said "screw it" and splurged on an ASP

And eventually hell have two desert eagle 50aes in dual shoulder holster rig.

"Sir, what are those bulges under your arms?"

"I have no clue what you are talking about"

Spike TV has a saturday morning block of TV shows hosted by Gerald McRaney that is about tactical shooting and training civilians for personal defense that has all the gun commercials you could ever want.

I believe they are produced by some of the folks who do swat TV, best defense and shooting gallery on Outdoor channel's wednesday night on the range.

It's some very solid programming.