(Cam Edwards, Bearing Arms) The number of firearms flying off of store shelves may have slowed a bit compared to the blistering pace set back in the summer of 2020, but gun sales are still well above their historical averages according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The firearm industry trade group has released its adjusted NICS figures for the month of October, and they’re pretty eye-popping.
According to NSSF, there were 1,427,264 guns sold at retail last month, which is the second-highest sales figure ever recorded for the month of October.
The highest total, of course, came last year, when more than 1.7-million guns were sold. Last month’s figures are an almost 20% decline compared to last year, but the 1.4-million sales absolutely dwarf the October numbers of 2019 and 2018, which is an indication that Americans are still turning to self-defense as violent crime and homicide rates spiral upwards from Portland to Philadelphia.
The NSSF’s Mark Oliva says sales do typically rise in October, as both the hunting and holiday shopping season approach.
The annual total so far of nearly 15.2 million background checks is putting 2021 on the path to being the second strongest year on record. It is currently behind only the record shattering 21 million background checks witnessed in 2020 and the 15.7 million background checks conducted during 2016.
This continued and sustained pace of background checks for the sale of a firearm, that is climbing in the closing months of 2021, shows the resiliency of the firearm manufacturers to meet this sustained, high-level demand and the personal interest by the American public to participate in the exercise of their God-given Second Amendment rights.
The high demand for firearms means that there’s also a high demand for ammunition, which continues to be in short supply, hobbling many gun owners who are hoping to put some meat in the freezer over the next couple of months.
As the gun deer season approaches, hunting ammunition is hard to find due to supply chain disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and surging demand for guns and ammunition. Gun dealers say they’ve struggled to stock shelves as firearms sales have climbed due to unease stemming from the pandemic, civil unrest and 2020 presidential election.
