Unrest and riots in 2020 led to an unprecedented spike in firearm sales, in particular to first-time as well as women and minority gun owners, and I think we’re all surprised and heartened to see historically strong sales continuing (three Julys in a row of well over 1 million checks each). Recession or not, inflation or not, gun sales continue at an impressive clip (or is it magazine?).

The NSSF adjusts the gross NICS numbers by removing NICS background checks done for the purposes of concealed carry permit applications and renewals and other things unrelated to the purchasing of a firearm. It isn’t a perfect system, as some firearm-related NICS checks don’t actually result in the sale of a firearm and some result in the sale of multiple firearms. Additionally, a full 25 states, like TTAG’s home state of Texas, do not require a NICS check if the purchaser has a valid concealed carry permit so there are lots of firearms sold without NICS checks being run.

However, looking at the numbers historically provides a good representation of the comparative number of firearms being sold, even if NICS check numbers don’t correlate directly to firearms sold numbers.

From the NSSF:

The July 2022 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,233,115 is a decrease of 4.5 percent compared to the July 2021 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,279,300. For comparison, the unadjusted July 2022 FBI NICS figure 2,358,150 reflects a 17.6 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,860,476 in July 2021.

The adjusted July 2022 figures are over a million and are the third strongest for the month on record, surpassed by July 2020 and July 2021.

 

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25 COMMENTS

  1. Now watch that idiot dacian show up to pro claim that only 3% of Americans own guns. I just saw where Massivetwoshits has sold record numbers of guns in their blue paradise.

    I would not at all be surprised to find we’ve sold record numbers here in CA. But I doubt we’d get an honest answer on the matter.

    • Alex Jones is getting railroaded right now:

      https://www.crimeonline.com/2022/08/03/watch-live-alex-jones-testifies-in-defamation-trial/

      I don’t know how many times the sandy hook families are going to cash in.

      Sue Remington – Cha Ching! $$$
      Sue Alex Jones, the tin foil hat fruitloop, because he’s mean – Cha Ching! $$$
      Who is next?

      Can’t believe Alex Jones’s attorney accidentally gave all of Jones’s private cell phone info to the plaintiff attorney. Never hire those people… ever!

      • I haven’t followed this. I’m not a Jones fan. But I understand that he has just admitted in court than the Sandy Hook shooting was real.

        Did he think it was a fake?

        • He made millions saying it was fake, then folded like the pu$$y he is when he got sued.

          “Jones said in a 2019 sworn deposition that a “form of psychosis” caused him at the time to believe it was staged.”

          What a piece of shit.

    • Its about 40% of Americans now that own guns purchased through the normal retail 4473 route. Estimates, using various parts kits sales (e.g. uppers, internal parts kits, etc…) and estimates of private sales, indicate ~20% of American gun owners built their firearms in 2021. Using reported in private sales surveys responses, another 13% of first time gun buying American’s purchased complete guns in private sales by lawful means in 2021.

      So combining normal retail 4473 route with 13% of first time gun buying American’s private sales — that’s about 53% of American citizens who own firearms. For possession though its more, 9% of Americans in 2021 reported they do not own a firearm but they do posses one legally by borrowing from a friend or relative.

      So, for possession, that’s 53% + 9% = ~62% (estimated) of the American public that possessed firearms in 2021. Applying standard mean trend deviation for gun ownership/posession to account for variations and to decrease (decrease) the overall ~20% self build estimate, with accounting for self builds about 6% of first time American gun owners built their guns in 2021 using parts purchased on line and using private sales purchases of ‘firearm designated components’ (e.g. lowers), and 4% of existing gun owners who built another gun.

      so estimated overall: its about 40% + 13% + 6% + 4% + 9% = ~72% of American’s who legally possessed firearms in 2021. Applying a standard trend 10% decrease to account for possible over estimate its ~63% of American’s who legally possessed firearms in 2021.

      The ~63% is very close to the pew research raw data estimates (62.2%) of ‘gun ownership’ overall (under which borrowed possession was counted as ‘ownership’) for 2021.

        • “My above [~63%] is for law abiding Americans.”

          Yep, I’d bet the percentage of crooks/gangsta/prohiblited people in the US who possess firearms is a lot higher, at least during the commission of crimes. I’m not certain it can be said they actually own them but they certainly have guns, along with bats, knives and other sharp weapons, and the like. It’s also getting pretty easy to just shove people in front of trains.

  4. That’s why the pla didn’t shoot down crazy Nancy’s plane, still too many of us that are armed. You know a man with a rifle behind every blade of grass. We are hoarding ammunition also. I have plenty of lead for them.

      • Well that and the cost increase of Copper Brass (by extension) and lead. Honestly cost per round of 308 is not bad compared to similar sized cartridges…………..I forget can you order ammo online over there?

    • Had Adm Yamamoto been smart he would have filed for American political office. Politicians are accomplishing what armies fear/failed at….nary a shot fired in defense.

      Vets signed on that dotted line for an amount up to and including their life to defend our Freedom on foreign soil. Then, return home to politicians stealing those very Freedoms on home soil without a shot fired in defense.

      • “…politicians stealing those very Freedoms…”

        There is a very simple remedy for that: Fire them. You’ll get a chance in November, and it looks like MO has some decent options.

        It’s tough for me to blame anyone but those very WW2 vets for this mess as far as the political swing to the left following the 1940s is concerned. They, like both my parents, were primarily Depression Era democrats and regardless of their courage, sacrifice and committment to the country during WW2, they almost always voted for the damn democrats regardless of the obvious wrecking ball they were swinging. My old man was a great person but he always claimed the democrats stood for “the little guy”.

        My dad hated the concepts and programs the dems constantly forced him to pay for, as well as the out-in-the-open mocking and condemnation for anything Christian or the belief in a Deity, but he still voted for them, up and down the ticket.

        That “Greatest Generation” is all gone now, which proves the need for the Leftist/progressives to import new “Americans”, ones who have and will maintain a victim status and dependency on the govenment rather than themselves. It’s really starting to backfire on them, however. The Asians and Mexicans living here are hard workers, as are many of the non-Islamic Muslims and they like the idea of working hard and having nice things. They’re also becoming wise to the lies they’ve been fed by the Left, and associating those lies with the conditions in their former countries that brought them into the US.

        Regardless of country of origin, those who have learned to work for a living would rather keep the vast majority of what they’ve made for themselves and their families rather than to have it stolen to fund crazy schemes that only lower the US into the 3rd World league of nations.

  5. NICS needs to get off their ass! I’ve been waiting three hours for a background check to clear. I think the store is going to close first.

    • Mine told me they close at 17:00, it was 16:30 when I left, 34 miles later I check my phone to see theyd called.
      That was the Wingmaster.

  6. I know several gun shop/range owners/operators here in N.E MS, and it’s not just the spike in gun purchases that’s of interest. It’s also the comparable spike in new buyers who are also signing up for training. MS does not require any training or a carry permit, so a lot of this is people ( and not just old white guys) voluntarily spending several hundred dollars on basic and advanced defensive handgun courses that are available in nearly every county in the State.

  7. Don’t make the mistake in assuming all buyers are 2A supporters. I’m sure some/a lot are supporters. But……….

    They could just as well be AntiFA, BLM and such groups funded by the left gearing up for their long desired “violent revolution”.

    • Just talked to an anti gunm individual(AR’s r machinegunms, anyone can buy them, gunm shops should be sued)two evenings ago that is buying a gunm. Icing on the cake is their having the police chief instruct them in its operation.

  9. Lokk at the numbers, look at the graphs if that’s all you can understand look at the stats and then compare them mINTERNATIONALLY if I can do it from here in the UK anybody can and those GRAPHS and STATISTICS will surtely tell you that there is surely in the USA a corrollary between THREE parameters ONe the number of firearms, especiially semi-automatic rifles and handguns and DEATHS and injury due to Gun Crime. Two. Overall availability of firearms in circulation and deaths and injury due to Gun Crime and Three a definite relationship between tough conditions of license and Firearm CONTROL LEGISLATION and DEATH and injury by gun crime.
    It is indisputable even to the willfully ignorant, illiterate and socially maladjusted.

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