August Gun Sales Up Almost 6% Over 2023 As the Election Nears

gun store sales background check 4473
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

After 2024 monthly gun sales — as measured by adjusted NICS data — trailing 2023 for most of the year, they started to accelerate in July and jumped even more in August. The may be due, at least in part, to the impending election. Americans tend to hedge their bets every four years by stocking up on firearms and related gear. And then there’s the general state of society that seems to have an increasing number of people concerned about self-defense.

As the NSSF’s Mark Oliva tells us . . .

The horrific crimes committed by a disturbed youth in Georgia are reprehensible and don’t represent the millions of law-abiding gun owners who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights each and every day. These 1.2 million background checks show that Constitutional rights matter, especially when it comes to the ability for responsible and law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones against evil and those who have no respect for life or law. The steady drumbeat of over 1 million background checks each month continues and demonstrates Americans will choose freedom instead of seeing their rights be stolen due to the horrendous actions of violent criminals.

Here’s the NSSF’s press release announcing the August totals . . .

The August 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,210,995 is an increase of 8.3 percent compared to the August 2023 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,117,821.

For comparison, the unadjusted August 2024 FBI NICS figure 2,163,540 reflects a 5.7% percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,047,512 in August 2023.

August 2024 marks the 61st consecutive month that has exceeded 1 million adjusted background checks in a single month.

Please noteTwenty-four states currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms.

It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.

For additional information on NICS or to view a complete set of the current monthly reports, please visit the NICS website.

 

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2 thoughts on “August Gun Sales Up Almost 6% Over 2023 As the Election Nears”

  1. The celebration of millions of violations of the 2A via the assumption of guilt and the requirement to prove innocence (BGCs before permission to exercise the “right”) is a curious thing for a supposedly pro-2A org to continuously bullhorn.

    Does not comply with Bruen.

    (Let’s hope this truthful comment doesn’t fall prey to the site mods…)