Americans Still Buying Firearms at Impressive Rates

[Charlie T Waite]

Americans are continuing to buy firearms at impressive rates, according to new data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

Nearly 1.3 million background checks were conducted through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for the sale of a firearm this past month, making it the second-highest June on record. Only June 2020’s simply astonishing number of more than 2.1 million checks for a firearm purchase ranks higher.

If the headline seems familiar, it’s because Americans are continuing to exercise their constitutional rights month after month at an astounding rate that began early last year. Records were shattered in 2020, with more than 21 million background checks conducted for the sale of a firearm, and over 8 million first-time gun owners. But at the current pace, it’s possible that this year’s numbers may yet eclipse even 2020’s.

The NSSF-adjusted numbers are calculated by taking the raw number of NICS background checks conducted and subtracting those unlikely to be used in the purchase of a firearm to better reflect the number of Americans embracing this constitutional right.

This trend is likely the result of several factors, including an administration that is openly against your Second Amendment rights. Most notably, perhaps, is President Joe Biden’s nomination of an anti-gun activist to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), David Chipman. Biden has also repeated a litany of lies about your rights and what he plans to do in an effort to limit them.

“It cannot be discounted that the continued elevated level of increased firearm purchases is driven, in part, by the gun-control overtures by the Biden administration. As we head into Independence Day, Americans are exercising their right to keep and bear arms in record numbers even as the Biden administration is throwing up roadblocks to keep that from happening,” said Mark Oliva, director of public affairs for the NSSF.

One thing is for certain, though: Americans are showing no signs of stopping when it comes to purchasing firearms. In that, they are exercising their Second Amendment rights and hopefully will continue to do so, despite the goals and actions of politicians who seek to limit and destroy this right.