Currently, from my limited IC perspective, I do not think that firearms in the mix are too hard to find for even newer players, or even priced too high. As long as you keep your calibers to small arms, most firearms are in achievable price range for your average ganger, with the added service costs and risks of having a hot piece having to weigh up to being able to bring a gun to a knife fight. It's when you start with the hypothetical modding that the prices start to rise quickly.
But as 0x1mm pointed out on the Sleaze-Sneak Thread, they're just seemingly never used, and for some reason tend to lead to hording of firearms. Which really resonated with me about them being saved for a super special rainy day that never comes.
That being said, I'd like to suggest these ideas to help boost the firearm economy in the Mix.
1.)Please remove the word derringer from the PopPop Defender. As someone who wanted to get into guns and stuff early in the game, every description and examination of the PopPop leads you to believe you have one bullet... like a derringer. This is not the case, and it took me close to a year and [REDACTED] to find out it holds a lot more than a single bullet. Very much unlike a derringer. I think that if it was renamed to something like a zip gun or something like that, it would get the idea across that it was a viable weapon to bring to a fight, instead of a single bullet and a prayer.
2.) Give TERRA carte blanche firearms permits for 9mm and under, with shotgun permits on a per need basis. Experienced officers may even qualify for .357 and .45 with justification and good standing. Even the psychos who are joining to get their authoritarian jollies. Giving TERRA access to firearms is a quick way to add a boost to the number of small arms circulating in the mix. Yes, they will surely be robbed of their guns like their whacking sticks, but that's the point. Literally every corp benefits in some way from turning Red into a bullet hell warzone, and they're the ones making the policies, not the WJF. And I think it might be refreshing if a ganger thinks they're going to rough up a TERRA Agent suddenly to find a gun pointed in their faces and explaining to the ER how you tripped and landed on five bullets.
3.)Expand hiring opportunities for weapons specialists. Currently the website advertises Lord of War as a viable achetype that you can easily become, just like a Medic or a Street Samurai. Except there is literally one single job position in Withmore that fills this job archetype for newer players, and if you don't feel like going corp you're shit out of luck. So expansion of more positions in the Mix (or hell the game in general) that can fulfill this role would be a godsend. And possibly an appropriate addition to the TERRA force if they are militarized.
4.) There needs to be a reliable source of ammunition within the Mix that is resupplied by NPCs. At least for 6mm, 9mm, 20 gauge, and 5.67x11mm. To this day, I'm not sure whether or not having ammunition is a crime or not, but I do know that asking for ammunition for a gun I am not registered to have is going to lead to further questions. Granted there is risk but when the only commercial sources for ammunition are topside, there needs to be some source below as well.
So maybe the vendor in 100 Rads could be stocked with a clip or two of small arms ammunitions? Have it be at nose bleed costs of course to encourage sourcing from other players, but it'll give new players somewhere to start for ammunition once they've graduated from PopPops.
Any other thoughts from firearm users?