Opinion
Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- The National Instant background Check System (NICS) for October 2019, showed record levels of background checks. The previous record for October was in 2016, during the presidential election, when many thought Hillary Clinton would be elected, would appoint at least three hardcore Progressive Leftist judges to the Supreme Court. Those justices would be expected to reliably lie to Congress to be confirmed, then violate their oaths of office, and reverse the Heller decision. Second Amendment rights would be gutted.
It did not happen, but it was a tremendous incentive for people who thought they might want a gun to purchase one. October, 2016 set the all time record for NICS background checks for the month: 2,333,539 total background checks. The number, less the 1,228,216 permit checks and rechecks, becomes a good proxy for the firearms sold in the month: 1,105,323.
In October of 2019, three years into the Trump Presidency, the comparable numbers are: Total NICS, 2,393,609. Permit checks and rechecks, 1,288,274.
Firearms sales proxy, total less permit checks and rechecks, 1,171,692.
The firearm sales proxy for October 2019 shows a new record with an increase of six percent.
Record level sales are not much of a Trump Slump.
The United States has reached a new normal for firearm sales, fueled by Barack Obama’s administration and the aggressive push for more and more restrictions on firearms ownership and use, pushed by the legacy (progressive) media, social media, and billionaire dollars from Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Oprah, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer, Rupert Murdoch, and George Soros, according to an article in Forbes from 2016.
Second Amendment activists and a hundred million likely American gun owners have actively fought back, with the aid of the NRA-ILA, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Gun Owners of America (GOA), and numerous smaller groups and state organizations.
It has been a David and Goliath fight, with Second Amendment supporters battling extreme odds in massive funding by the Billionaires, massive free publicity by the legacy (Progressive) media, and hostile federal appeals courts populated by Progressive judges.
The ongoing fight has publicized political concerns about gun ownership as never before. Candidate Robert Francis (Beto) O’Rourke publicly called for confiscation of AR15 type rifles, as well as any other semi-automatic firearms designated as “assault weapons” in some future law.
The weak response from the rest of the Democrat field seemed to castigate him for going too far, at this time. A prominent Progressive personality on the view told him to keep such plans secret until he was elected.
The publicity, along with large supplies of firearms at historically low prices, has fueled the buying spree.
At some point, the demand for firearms will either be saturated or driven underground by infringements on the Second Amendment. Either the Second Amendment will be enforced by the courts, in which case the demand will drop; or the Supreme Court will refuse to enforce the Second Amendment as a fundamental, enumerated part of the Bill of Rights, and legal demand will be destroyed by infringements.
The Supreme Court, doing its job, seems the most likely course. When gun laws have been reformed, and Second Amendment rights restored, crime as either remained the same or dropped.
I predict near record-high levels of firearms sales to continue through the 2020 election cycle.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Good news. Better news, just imagine how many private firearm sales without unconstitutional background checks occurred during the same period.
The figures for these permission request checks are interesting. The numbers that I would like to have are those for denied and those denied because of incorrect information. What is being done by whom to correct wrong information would be nice to know.
I never wanted one, already having a .308 Remington bolt at the ready all geared up for whatever ails ya, but now find myself looking at an AR-10 in .308 (because I already have plenty of .308 ammo.) More and more I can see the need for something with a little more sting in its tail than a .223. For that, I would like to thank the left directly. Whether I have to use it or not in defense of this country, remains to be seen. The bitch is that, while you glimpse it every so often, you never really… Read more »
They are biting off more than they can chew. I still predict they will never be able to get 100% of our guns. They may make us all criminals in the fight, but we will never surrender all of our guns and the black market will flourish if it is brought upon us.
sadly only one come from me.
And, on Wednesday the DemoNAZIS and RINOs in the HoR(ror) will be voting to BAN ALL SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES, SHOTGUNS and PISTOLS!!!
@Dean – good info and good news. However you may want to double check your math. You have checks up 60k, and recheck/permits up 60k. If those are right then the difference (new sales proxy) is flat rather than up 60k.
Thanks for catching the error. The permit and rechecks number for 2016 was repeated for 2019. Instead of 1,228,216, (Oct, 2016) it should be 1,171,692 for Oct, 2019.
Thanks for catching the error. The wrong number was inserted for permits and rechecks for 2019. Instead of 1,228,274, it should be 1,221,917 for Oct, 2019. Permits and rechecks down about 6K, Overall up 60K, so that is a rise of about 6%.
YAY!!
i wonder if this counts firearm purchases by CCW holders who buy guns with no check??
Hey, duffis, There is ALWAYS a check for any weapon you buy from a FFL outlet!!!!