Survival of the fittest: Gun sales surge amid fears

FPI / September 11, 2019

Firearms purchases in the U.S. surged in August as leftist politicians pushed hard for more gun-control, with some even calling for gun confiscation.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), August saw a 15.5 percent increase in background checks recorded in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Last month, more than 2 million background checks were done for security, concealed carry permits, and gun sales. It was the highest number ever recorded for August.

“The new surge came in the wake of heightened pressure for gun control, sales bans on military-styled rifles, and limits on ammo following a spike in mass shootings,” Washington Examiner columnist Paul Bedard noted on Sept. 10.

Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the nation’s largest sellers, said fears of a liberal gun grab and a drive for self-protection are pushing sales higher.

“As we’ve seen in the past, the recent publicizing of mass shootings has fueled people’s concerns about their personal safety. We are seeing many first-time gun buyers, and our concealed carry classes are booking up quickly,” said Anderson.

“Political figures talking about gun bans and confiscation is also starting to figure into sales. We’ve seen a slight uptick in the sale of tactical rifles as a result,” Anderson added.

Several Democrats running for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination support some sort of federal firearms buyback program and a ban on what they refer to as “assault weapons.”

Pro-Second Amendment groups argue the Dems’ ideas are nothing short of confiscation.

“What you see the Democrat candidates are doing is they simply want to demonize firearms and they’re coming up with the same old failed policies that haven’t worked in the past,” said Erich Pratt, the president of Gun Owners of America.

Bedard noted that, on Sept. 9, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “demanded Senate passage of a House-approved background check expansion. The White House, however, is focused on mental health drivers in shootings.”

Analysts said the August surge in firearms sales might be the start of a 2016-style buying binge.

“Then, calls by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton for gun control and an assault weapon ban led to the highest yearly sales and background checks ever,” Bedard wrote.

The NSSF said it was told by the FBI that the overall NICS number for August was 2,341,363. That is 310,702 higher than July and 268,067 higher than August 2018.

The NSSF adjusted number was 1,113,535 for August, compared to 966,809 for August 2018. It explained: “The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016. Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions.”

The NSSF noted that some states saw huge spikes.

“Alabama’s NSSF-adjusted NICS for August 2019 was 164.6 percent higher than August 2018 which accounts for an additional 24,292 checks over this time last year. Likewise, Minnesota’s NSSF-adjusted NICS for August 2019 was 68.9 percent higher than August 2018 which accounts for an additional 8,936 checks over the same time period.”

Free Press International