The FBI recorded its highest-ever number of background checks for gun sales in June, a 70% jump over June 2019 and the latest evidence that more guns will be sold in 2020 than ever in American history.
The agency’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System said it conducted 3,931,607 checks in June, beating the record of 3,740,688 registered in March. So far this year, there have been 19,180,047 NICS checks, more than in all of the first 14 years of the system started in 1998.
While the number does not exactly correlate with gun sales, it is used to estimate the number of weapons that trade hands.
Gun stores told Secrets that there is a backlog on weapons, ammunition, and even parts.
The trade group Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting told Secrets that gun sales actually skyrocketed 145%, based on their data. They estimated sales at 2.4 million, though that doesn’t include person-to-person sales which in many states do not require background checks.
Sales began to surge this year because of the upcoming 2020 presidential election and the possibility that gun control advocate Joe Biden would win. It sparked again when Virginia surprisingly put limits on guns in a model other states started to eye.
Sales really jumped when the coronavirus hit and apparently exploded after the looting and riots following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.
Surprisingly, the jump came during a month when some states had closed gun stores due to the coronavirus.
As before, we asked Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the biggest sellers in the nation, for what he’s seeing in his store.
He told us this morning: “I’ve been in this business going on 14 years, and I have never seen this much demand. There are shortages of nearly every single defensive firearm currently manufactured. Shotguns, handguns, tactical rifles, and especially ammunition are in short supply everywhere. Our buyer is working seven days a week trying to keep our store stocked. Large shipments are arriving in the morning and are selling out the same day. Our concealed carry classes are filling up so fast that we are adding dates to try to keep up with demand.”
