FBI background checks and gun sales surged in March, likely a reaction to the calls for gun control and bans following the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. and a booming economy.
Background checks in March were the fourth highest in the history of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS.
The 2,767,699 NICS checks in March was also the highest ever for a month other than December, when many buy weapons as gifts.
NICS includes checks for concealed carry permits and other permits, indicating a surge in those also.
When actual gun sales are estimated out of the data, one group said that March saw an 11 percent increase in weapons sold over the same month in 2017.
Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting said that it estimates March 2018 firearms sales at 1,594,988 units, a year‐over‐year increase of 11.4 percent from March 2017.
Following the Parkland shooting, students and advocates joined to demand gun control measures and President Trump initially broke from the National Rifle Association to call for age limits on the purchases of some rifles.
Unhappy, however, with Washington’s inaction, thousands of activists led by some of the Parkland students marched in the nation’s capital and called for gun control, a demand still unmet by Congress.
Some gun sellers reacted to the march by urging customers to buy soon. Minuteman Arms in Lovettsville, Va., for example warned on a street sign that there is a “gun grab” coming and posted the above video on its Facebook page to reinforce that warning.
Another seller, Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, N.C., one of the nations biggest, also attributed higher sales to the booming economy.
“I think fear buying is only part of the equation. A more important variable is the overall economic outlook right now. The economy is growing, people have jobs, and they have money in their pockets. With a more positive outlook of their future, people are spending more money on luxury goods like firearms,” said Justin Anderson, marketing director for Hyatt.
“Our sales are literally off the charts right now. We’re currently at nearly 80 percent above where we were at the same time last year. I expect this trend to continue,” he added.
