2012 Firearms & Ammunition Sales Exploding

By Alan Korwin

Gun Sales Chart
2012 Firearm & Ammunition Sales Exploding

PHOENIX, AZ –-(Ammoland.com)- The lamestream media told you: Jobs are bad, the economy is bad, the economy is actually good, the recovery is on, the recovery is over, there is no recovery yet, we’re still in a recession, there is no recession, unemployment is terrible, you’re doomed, be afraid, be very afraid, everyone is out of work, the government is trying to make jobs, Obama is a good president and the economic problems are not his, candidates are running because they will create jobs, blah, blah, blah…

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Gun sales continue to provide robust stimulus to the economy. The February 2012 adjusted NICS firearm-background-checks figure of 1,266,344 is an increase of 31.4% over the 963,746 in February 2011. These figures from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) are adjusted to more accurately reflect actual firearm sales since some NICS checks are performed for states that use NICS to qualify people for CCW permits and for other purposes.

The numbers are not precise sales figures, since one NICS check can be used for multiple purchases, and some people, after a check, decide not to complete a purchase. Without the adjustments carefully performed by NSSF, the figures would be different.

For example, the unadjusted February 2012 NICS count is 1,734,646 background checks, an 18.6% increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,463,138 in February 2011.

The Brady Campaign to Promote Gun Violence was rumored to be nauseated that the system they instigated informs us that 1.7 million Americans sought guns or gun-related actions — in a single month. They didn’t like this either:

This is the 21st straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year. The world may be going to heck in a handbasket, but the firearms industry is a tremendous bright spot in the economy. The lamestream media could not be reached for comment.

Total NICS background checks from inception in November 1998 through last March totaled 145.7 million. The most checks for any month were last December (2011) with 1,882,000 conducted. Three of the “top ten” days for background checks have occurred since “Black Friday” last November. March 2012 was the 22nd straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased.

With 145 million checks conducted in just the past 14 years, the lamestream media’s popular figure of 200 million guns in American hands — for the rest of the nation’s two centuries of history — seems like it might be a bit low, you think?

The “news” media was unavailable for comment. Or reporting.

In other news, Ruger has stopped taking orders, with more than one million backorders currently on hand. Their firearm sales by April of this year had reportedly exceeded all sales for 2011. Smith and Wesson, Mossberg, Hi-Point, and others are facing similar problems, if you can call that a problem, in this terrible economy.

Ammunition Exports Exploding

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Overall U.S. exports of arms and ammunition in six sporting categories increased 48.5% in January 2012 compared to January 2011. January 2012 exported units in tracked categories totaled 119.0 million units, up from 80.2 million units reported in January 2011.

Overall U.S. imports of arms and ammunition in the same six tracked sporting categories however decreased 21.1 percent in January 2012 compared to January 2011. This means our balance of trade for arms and ammunition is in positive territory, a strong plus for the economy.

January 2012 imported units in the six tracked categories totaled 114.9 million, down from 145.7 million reported in January 2011. All figures are from U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). See a breakdown for each category here: https://www.nssf.org/bulletpoints/links/imports_jan12.cfm

The six tracked categories are handguns, rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, shotgun cartridges, and other cartridges. Handgun exports increased 65.6% from 10,557 to 17,487 units.

FFL Numbers Exploding

The lamestream media told you:

Jobs are shrinking, the workforce is shrinking, the economic outlook is dreary, jobs are going overseas, people are demoralized, there are no bright spots on the horizon…

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
More than 2,000 federally licensed firearm dealers have entered the marketplace since Jan 2010, bringing the national total to just under 49,000. This reverses a trend of draconian business policies instituted under former president Bill “Slick Willie” Clinton, that wiped out about two-thirds of the FFLs in the nation, mostly small independent entrepreneurs and Mon-and-Pop shops.

Data collected by NSSF from the BATFE shows that the number of Type 01 (dealer in firearms) federal firearms licenses (FFLs) in the U.S. increased from 47,411 in January 2010 to 48,987 in February 2012. Additionally, the number of Type 02 FFLs (defined as pawnbrokers in firearms) increased from 6,712 in January 2010 to 7,171 in February 2012.

“These increases over the past two years, especially considering the economic times, complement many other indicators that show strength for the firearms industry,” said Randy Clark, NSSF managing director of business development.


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