Gun sales have crossed into new and historic territory, averaging over 16 million sold annually as buyers who are concerned about violent crime arm up.
According to the FBI, the last three years have recorded new highs in gun sales and background checks.
In 2022, the FBI this week said that it handled 31.5 million applications in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which includes an estimated 16.4 million gun sales. The rest are for other security checks, including for concealed carry permits.
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That was the third-highest NICS number ever, following records set in 2020 and 2021.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the firearms industry group, said that the growth in NICS checks and sales is a “new normal” that suggests the latest high level of gun buying will continue.
“This trend is similar to that of what NSSF has witnessed in the past,” said NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva.
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“When a new ceiling is reached on background checks for retail gun sales, the market settles to a ‘new normal.’ That new normal typically exceeds what the trend line of what was seen before the spike. In this case, there were nearly 13.2 million before the 2020 and 2021 spike. The 16.4 million figure shows that the industry continues to meet a signal from today’s gun buyers,” he said.
Oliva, whose group will host the annual Shot Show in Las Vegas later this month, added: “There continues to be a strong desire from law-abiding Americans to purchase the firearms of their choice.”
Gun store representatives have told Secrets that concerns about safety and fears of violent political division in the nation are helping to drive sales. Also, record numbers are getting concealed carry permits, which typically precede gun purchases.
