Americans continue setting monthly records for firearms purchases.
AWR Hawkins reported that April 2021 was the “16th consecutive month of record National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks for firearm sales and transfers.”
According to the FBI’s numbers, 3,514,070 checks were carried out in April, which is the highest April number in NICS’ history.
FBI figures show that 3,514,070 checks were performed in April, which is more than any other April in history.
Hawkins observed that “the previous record for the month of April, set in April 2020, was 2,911,128 checks.”
The recorded background checks serve as a proxy for gun sales but they have their limits, as Hawkins explains below:
NICS checks are not a precise measurement for the number of gun sales taking place, as the checks are conducted on the would-be purchaser, rather than the gun itself. Moreover, an individual can buy more than one gun at retail once he or she has passed the background check. (That latter point means the number of NICS checks could be lower than the number of guns sold.)
2020 was a big year for gun sales as Americans turned to private gun ownership in a time of generalized unrest after the George Floyd protests. Hawkins provided some of 2020’s numbers:
Approximately 39.7 million NICS checks were performed in 2020 and Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting estimates nearly 23 million firearms were sold.
Despite what the corporate press wants, the Second Amendment isn’t disappearing anytime soon. This should give some hope to right wingers, who now have evidence of a powerful grassroots movement to tap into in their fight to score points against the Left.