As Christmas approached, Solomon Lehnerd’s online gun store, Rooftop Defense, saw a surge in sales, particularly of grenade launchers for AR-15 rifles. Accessories have become the primary revenue source for gun retailers as gun sales decline. Many enthusiasts are modifying firearms, with demand for high-cost accessories escalating, while gun ownership stabilizes. The market for firearm suppressors and modifications has expanded dramatically in recent years. Lehnerd, who opened his store amid a challenging background, has built a loyal customer base, utilizing social media to drive sales. Meanwhile, other retailers are adapting their strategies to appeal to diverse gun ownership communities.
With Christmas just days away, Solomon Lehnerd found himself selling an unusual number of grenade launchers.
This holiday season marked the first time his online gun store offered components to construct the legendary accessory for AR-15-style rifles: a grenade launcher that attaches to the rifle.
Mr. Lehnerd’s shop, Rooftop Defense, flourishes by catering to customers looking to replicate historically accurate military rifles, with most of his profits stemming from what has emerged as a new frontier in American gun retail: accessories.
“Accessories are the backbone of our revenue,” noted Mr. Lehnerd, who prefers to be called Sol, as he examined his counter cluttered with holiday orders. “It’s not about the guns; guns typically offer very low profit margins.”
Items like scopes, suppressors, handgrips, and muzzle brakes have transformed from often-overlooked pieces of equipment to vital components in the firearms marketplace. With store staff reporting unexpected declines in gun sales during an election year—when firearm purchases generally increase due to fears of new regulations—costly accessories have become essential, as one retailer from coastal Maine described in late December.
The immensely popular AR-15, now dubbed “America’s rifle,” is so widely owned that its demand has decreased. “Everyone already has them,” remarked one retailer in Minnesota regarding his summer sales. A 2021 firearms survey by a Georgetown University professor revealed that nearly 25 million people have owned an AR-15-style rifle.
Instead, the market for gun modifications and DIY kits has vastly expanded. An increasing number of individuals are either building their own firearms or personalizing existing ones with accessories that often surpass the cost of the guns themselves.
“Guns mainly draw people in,” explained Louis Reich, a sales representative from a prominent firearms distributor. At the beginning of each week, Mr. Reich checks Rooftop Defense’s website, where Mr. Lehnerd’s inventory is updated in real time, to monitor what items are popular and which are out of stock, enabling him to prepare restock orders.
“Accessories are our main revenue source,” added Mr. Reich. Data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives indicated a staggering increase of over 9,000 percent in the production of firearm suppressors, or silencers, between 2000 and 2021.
Gun enthusiasts, many of whom suffer from what’s humorously termed “restless rifle syndrome,” frequently modify their firearms despite the high costs associated with it. Others, referred to as cloners, are driven to replicate military rifles, particularly those from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, down to the finest details, constructing multiple firearms. Grenade launchers and suppressors are essential to achieve the desired appearance of historical weapons.
This obsession is how some gun shop owners, like Mr. Lehnerd, earn their living.
“These builders and enthusiasts are the lifeblood of our industry,” he remarked.
Gun retailers, especially those operating solely online, often boast extensive inventories. Some premium manufacturers focus more on military contracts than on average consumers. In 2022, approximately 78,000 licensed firearms dealers were operating in the United States, according to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
Mr. Lehnerd’s pathway to selling firearm accessories is quite unique. Born in South Korea to a U.S. Airman father and deaf in one ear, Mr. Lehnerd dropped out of high school and even experienced a month of homelessness in Los Angeles. However, his upbringing on military bases ignited his passion for firearms. Eventually, a physical injury suffered while changing gas meters led him to establish Rooftop Defense alongside his wife, Abbie.
The name of the shop pays homage to Mr. Lehnerd’s nickname, “Rooftop,” rooted in the story of Korean Americans safeguarding their Los Angeles neighborhood from rooftops during the Rodney King riots. His shop is recognized by peers as a trailblazer among the next generation of American gun stores.
He operates the business from a modest warehouse located in a rural area about an hour from Little Rock, Ark., with one full-time employee, Sam. In 2023, Sam’s annual bonus consisted of a LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon and the Mos Eisley Cantina. Ms. Lehnerd aids part-time with shipping and postal errands.
Rooftop Defense is neatly organized, featuring shelves filled with accessories, firearms, and packages nestled among ramen supplies. It notably deviates from the usual portrayal of an American gun store yet embodies the spirit of the current gun community trend: an obsession with enhancing the AR-15 through extensive modifications.
When Mr. Lehnerd launched in 2020, he started with a mere seven items. Today, he offers around 700. His customers purchase gun accessories with an intensity that shows no sign of waning; January marked his highest sales month since inception. Each order includes a packet of ramen and a preprinted Post-it note, which he stopped handwriting a few years back due to increased business.
“I’m aware this habit can be costly,” the note states, “so enjoy a free meal on us.” Customers also receive a copy of the Constitution.
Certain guns and accessories are so rare that they’ve earned the name “unobtainium.” Just like a sought-after Air Jordan release, limited-edition accessories incite frenzy and significantly boost sales for shop owners who manage to procure them.
Andrew Wladyka, a manager at A&M Tactical, a physical gun store in Middletown, R.I., primarily earns from selling accessories, ammunition, and used firearms but admits that his store “lacks the influence” to carry products from one specific manufacturer: Knight’s Armament Company.
Based in Titusville, Fla., this company sells predominantly to the Defense Department and other governmental entities, symbolizing the epitome of AR-15 unobtainium, according to Mr. Wladyka.
However, Mr. Lehnerd established connections with the company after launching a Facebook group for Knight’s rifle owners in 2016, ultimately obtaining a prestigious position as one of their few civilian retailers.
Whenever Mr. Lehnerd announces a product drop on Discord or Reddit, customers flock to the Rooftop Defense website. In January, he sold 400 Knight’s Armament battery caps—small plastic discs for rifle sights—in roughly 90 minutes, causing the website to crash due to the overwhelming demand.
“It was like watching a frenzy unfold over a coveted item,” he reflected. “I was aware that there was interest, but I didn’t realize the extent of it.”
The shift within the gun industry towards a release culture reminiscent of sneaker and fashion brands seems a natural progression. In an increasingly divided nation, gun ownership in America has evolved into more of a lifestyle choice rather than just a hobby or political stance.
“While gun sales have stagnated, it’s not just the accessories market that’s flourishing; it’s the apparel, patches, and lifestyle items as well,” noted Chase Welch, who works for a public relations firm connected with major firearms manufacturers.
Jordan Levine, a firefighter and former U.S. Marine, operates a small online venture called A Better Way 2A from his basement in Seymour, Conn. Unlike Rooftop Defense, which focuses on gun modifications, Mr. Levine’s clientele melds their passion for firearms with their perspectives on gun rights and civil liberties.
“The gear market is flooded, making it tremendously tough to establish a foothold; I felt that creating a lifestyle brand was the best way to positively impact the gun community,” he stated.
Mr. Levine’s best-selling items include stickers and patches aimed at engaging an expanding demographic of firearms users who may traditionally shy away from shooting ranges: women, minority gun owners, and members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
“I believe that gun rights should be accessible to everyone, irrespective of identity, and I was troubled by the notion that some groups found the gun community unwelcoming,” articulated Mr. Levine, 34.
Many of his customers often inquire about avoiding spending on tactical and firearms brands they perceive as exclusionary.
As a firearms instructor, Mr. Levine began distributing stickers that proclaimed “gun rights are human rights.” This initiative evolved into an Etsy page and eventually led to the establishment of A Better Way 2A in 2021.
Now, his basement office is filled with stickers emblazoned with messages like “Make Racists Afraid Again.” Another popular sticker features crossed rifles alongside the tagline “Be Queer Shoot Straight.” Even though overall gun sales have slowed nationwide, his stickers and apparel have seen a surge in sales, particularly since the last election.
“My Black Friday sale was absolutely remarkable,” exclaimed Mr. Levine.