Summer unrest, election credited in record gun sales

FPI / January 8, 2021

The FBI announced on Monday that 39,615,315 firearm purchase background checks were conducted in 2020, shattering the record of more than 28 million checks from 2019.

The bureau noted that December also broke the record high for a month that was set in June. Last month, there were 3,937,066 checks in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS).

Firearms industry officials told the Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard that sales hit record numbers because of concerns about Black Lives Matter protests, the contested 2020 presidential election, and Joe Biden’s promise of gun control, gun registration, and the banning of the most popular gun in America, the AR-15.

The industry officials told Bedard that many Americans used their stimulus checks to buy guns and take lessons.

"In 2019, the industry was shocked when there was a record 28,369,750 gun purchase background checks," Bedard noted. "But a 40% one-year hike was shocking. It also led to shortages in ammunition and a spike in prices."

In just the first week of January, firearm sales are continuing to increase as are the number of FBI background checks.

“We’re seeing continued growth across the industry, and the NICS numbers really tell that story. The most recent round of stimulus checks have further bolstered the industry, with many people using that money to buy guns,” Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, told Bedard.

“The headlines also continue to drive sales, especially those that show Joe Biden becoming the next president. His radical firearms policy should continue to stoke fear and uncertainty among those on the fence about buying guns. Uncertainty and fear have always driven gun sales, and we’re seeing many first-time gun buyers exercising their Second Amendment rights. Last year’s sales were nearly double what we did in 2019, and [the] bubble is not bursting any time soon.”

Free Press International