Sales of firearms have inched higher since Vice President Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, a sign that some voters are concerned that she will make good on her plans to ban guns if elected president.
According to the latest FBI background check count, sales and checks were below last year. That was unusual since gun sales typically increase in an election year.
But when Biden was pushed out by party elites in July and Harris swooped in to claim his nomination without facing a single primary voter, gun sales turned higher than last year. Also, the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump occurred in July.
Since July, month over month sales have ticked higher by about 125,000 with the background check count up some 260,000. Those checks include more than just gun sales.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry’s trade group, said adjusted background checks showed a 1.3% sales increase in September over September 2023 to 1,156,223.
That meant that for 62 consecutive months, gun sales have been above 1 million a month.
Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina, said current events, including Hurricane Helene, are sparking increased gun purchases. “I think the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina has further illustrated the need for private gun ownership. Unconfirmed stories of looting in and around Asheville and a sheriff urging his constituents to arm themselves should not be taken lightly. I think the best advice I can give is: ‘Don’t wait, buy now,’” he told Secrets.
He also said gun owners don’t trust Harris, who claims to own guns, will keep her hands off theirs. “Vice President Harris is the worst type of gun owner. She believes in her right to own a gun but wants to fully control and restrict other American citizens’ rights. That belief hasn’t been lost on the gun buying public, as our sales have trended up with the NSSF background check data. If elected, it will likely result in the next gun buying frenzy,” he said.
More than Biden, Harris has been especially threatening to guns and the Second Amendment. Her vice presidential pick, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), last night in the vice presidential debate backed Harris’s plan to ban guns.
“Sometimes it’s just the guns,” he said in a discussion about school shootings.
Harris has pushed for a ban on modern sporting rifles, such as the AR-15. She also wants to limit the size of magazines that hold cartridges, and new reports suggest that she supports a handgun ban.
“As commander in chief, Harris would likely push for expanding background checks for all gun purchases and reinstating the federal ban on assault weapons. She could also pursue tougher regulations on ghost guns, large-capacity ammunition magazines, and bump stocks,” said the anti-gun news site the Trace.
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The Giffords PAC, led by former congresswoman Gabriele Giffords, called on voters to choose Harris over former President Donald Trump, who is backed by the National Rifle Association. In a memo praising Walz’s comments at the debate, Giffords mocked those who want to shore up school security to fend off shootings.
“The real reason for our nation’s gun violence crisis is not a lack of stronger doors and windows in our schools. It’s exactly what Tim Walz said last night: ‘Sometimes, it’s just the guns.’” said the anti-gun group.
