U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers are in for June of 2021. There has been a significant drop from the numbers for June of 2020, a year ago. Total background checks have declined 29%, and total gun sales have declined 47% from last year. June of 2020 was a record-setting month.
If we look back to June of 2019, the 2021 numbers are 40% higher for gun sales this June.
Looking to 2016, the previous record year before 2020, gun sales in June of 2021 exceeds those in June of 2016 by 12%.
Even though June gun sales in 2021 are only 53% of the firearm sales of June of 2020, they are still the second-highest number of June gun sales since NICS started keeping records in 1998.
Historically, June gun sales are one of the three lowest months in the year for gun sales. May, June, and July are the “Summer Doldrums” for gun sales, with June and July tending to be a little lower than May.
The total NICS checks are becoming less and less representative of the total number of firearm sales.
There always was a disconnect, because there can be multiple gun sales on one NICS check. There are 20 million or more people with carry permits. There were 19.48 million carry permits over a year ago.
In 25 states, the carry permit is used as a NICS check for gun sales. Those sales are not recorded in NICS.
With the enormous numbers of people with carry permits, some states are doing monthly or even daily NICS checks on people with permits. The federal government does not charge the states for NICS checks.
Illinois permit rechecks accounted for over 715 thousand NICS rechecks in June of 2021; Kentucky over 301 thousand NICS rechecks; Utah had over 72 thousand. Total permit and permit rechecks for the nation were over 1.79 million of the total 3.05 million or about 59% of the total checks.
Most of the NICS checks are no longer involved in gun sales. There are more carry permits, more carry permit rechecks and more gun sales not tracked by NICS because they are done using the carry permit instead of another NICS check.
Gun production appears to be meeting demand. More guns are becoming available and prices are dropping. The supply of ammunition seems to be meeting demand as well. Prices are dropping and more ammunition is being seen in stores.
The nation is coming out of the COVID crises, and the Biden regime is meeting resistance to its extreme anti-Second Amendment policies. Both circumstances may contribute to lower demand for guns and ammo.
A large number of new gun owners and a large number of people with carry permits appear to be having a political effect. Contrary to the claim by those who want a disarmed population, the number of gun owners seems to be growing. The number of people of carrying guns has been growing spectacularly. Yet, the number of people who are using guns to illegally commit violence against other people does not track with the increase in gun ownership or with the increase in the number of people legally carrying guns.
The primary stated premise of the push for more restrictions on gun ownership and gun carry is “more guns, more crime”. As that premise is proving false, the backup premise is “more guns more suicide”. That premise is also proving false.
More guns do not create more violent crimes or more suicides. If they do, the numbers are too small to measure.
The fact of record gun sales, record numbers of new gun owners, and millions of carry permits tells us very large numbers of Americans believe the utility of guns outweigh the risks, especially in uncertain times.
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 retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Well now maybe the ammo manufacturers can catch up and put ammo back on the shelves instead of all the bullshit excuses they have been trying to spoon feed us . If the ammo manufacturers put all thier eggs in 1 basket by buying components from China this should have removed their heads from thier asses by now and they need other options other than China . China Joe will see that none of the ammo manufacturers have components to put ammo supplies back instock . He will stop at nothing to disarm America .
Exactly. Thought I was the only one that saw that
In 2014 Obama made the EPA shut down America’s last lead smelting plant. Now all our lead is smelted in…wait for it…China. and shipped back to the USA.
So all that would have to happen is for China to stop smelting the USA’s lead.
That’s why I have been stocking up since 2014.
Maybe sales went down due to less availability of new firearms?
The selection of guns in my local shops is what could be referred to a slim, very sliming order to sell something you have to have product.
Modern firearms ARE drop safe.
There are no guns or ammo ANYWHERE @ near normal prices….better start making ur own and have more ammo & primer mfg. in AMERICA!
ANOTHER RETARD! CONGRATS! U FAILED! UR PARENTS FAILED!
I am extremely good at finding gun deals online, and I am seeing prices come down significantly. Selection is still quite thin, though.
Correct! We absolutely NEED to have all our raw materials sourced in the USA, from brass, copper & lead to all of the component manufacturing processes – lead smelting to bullet manufacturing to primer production and casings too.
Let every patriotic, freedom-loving American learn to and become proficient in making their own ammo at home, so the government cannot easily stop the making of ammo. A gun is merely an expensive paperweight without ammo.
The ‘jury’ is out whether or not I believe these govmint stats! I read a Yahoo ‘Snooze’ article gleefully touting the same stats for June 2021 ammo sales. What I see is my local gun shops having all their gun & ammo inventory fly off the shelves as soon as there stocked!!
Meanwhile, there is this:
https://andersonmanufacturing.com/news/post/anderson-manufacturing-ranked-number-one-in-u.s.-miscellaneous-firearms-production-for-second-year-i
Of course they’re doing well due to demand from people wanting something to turn in on “National Common Sense Gun Safety Buy Back Day.”
I’m wondering if there has been any uptick in demand for canoes.
Hard to lose your guns in a freak canoeing accident if you don’t own a canoe.
😉
May the rivers and lake bottons be paved with steel.
And then, there all those guns that were sold in gun show parking lots, without even going inside!
And at knife shows. And flea markets. And garage sales. And hundreds of other places people meet at.
As a gunsmith, I’ve purchased many firearms just over my counter. People sometimes find the price to fix an serviceable firearm too high, and prefer to sell it on the cheap instead. If not for this, I would have no personal experience owning Glocks. I sure as hell wouldn’t pay full price for one! 🙂
After more than a year of record-shattering after record-shattering gun & ammo sales, it was inevitable that at some point people would say, “OK, I have a pistol and a rifle, that’s enough, I’m all set”. After all, you can only shoot one gun at a time and were it necessary to go to war to defend your liberty, you’d only be able to carry a pistol & rifle and a certain amount of ammo on you. Nobody’s gonna be toting 25 rifles into a conflict! I do not see ammo sales slacking, though. You can NEVER have too much… Read more »
I haven’t bought recently because I can’t get or afford the ammo to shoot a new gun. Why invest in somthing else to gather dust. The ‘pistol and a rifle’ is ‘enough’ for now only because that Scout rifle i’ve been eyeing – I couldn’t shoot anyway.
Rambo and Arnold can shoot two guns at a time (ha ha).
Um, excuse me, but most gun owners have at least 4 firearms. You may only go to war with a “pistol and a rifle”, and maybe a precision long range rifle on your pack, but people collect guns, and often get them for different purposes: plinking, competition, varmints, big game, day vs night setups, etc.
I know which three I would take into battle, but that doesn’t mean I would only have those three.
“Most gun owners” isn’t the same thing as “new gun owners”. Being a lifelong gun owner, I of course have quite a bit more than 4. I just bought a new safe not long ago and it’s full already. But as long as I have my AR and a HEMTT-load of ammo, and either my 1911 or my Springfield XDM, I’ll have the most important things I need for war. New gun owners, I believe, would be content to just have a pistol and a long arm since the smart thing to do would be to prioritize ammo over additional… Read more »
Just an observation but with the addition last year of over 8 million first time gun owners (and even more this year) – it it possible that a saturation point has been reached? That could easily account for some of the ‘slowdown’. As other commenters have noted, there is still a degree of shortage of readily available stock to be bought.
Just an FYI – I saw an ad for 9mm at $18.99 for box of 50, limit of 10 boxes. Lowest price I’ve seen in quite a long time so ‘maybe’ the ammo market is starting to trend down.
That and a few more folks making their own guns. I know several who do. I think gun & ammo prices will collapsing in the next year, ceteris paribus, due to saturation & burnt budgets due to paying panic prices, vs ramped up production.
I invested in a .410ga. upper and a .410ga. break-down ‘backpack’ shotgun as an alternative since these days there is such an incredible selection of .410 ammo! Unfortunately, a lot of others must’ve had the same thought because now .410 is hard to get, especially slug loads. Both also accept .45LC.
Ammo has been scarce and severely over priced when you can find it. The possibility of being prosecuted if/when you use your firearm may be part of the problem. We have all seen anti constitutionalist communist minded A.G’s, judges, lawyers and enforcement types prosecute/harris, delay or flat out deny justice even when the shooter or owner was well within their GOD given, constitutionally protected rights. Then there is the real THREAT of government confiscation is also an ongoing problem. Don’t be surprised when you find out that hitler, stalin, mao, pol pot, chavez, imine etc ALL did in like manor… Read more »
I would say a lot has to do with ammo and the STRICT B.S. or not wanting to be on GOV’T watch list to purchase a weapon? Justa thought??
I’d be willing to bet that private guns sales have increased just as much, if not more, than those using NCIS, from 2020 to present.
Many, many people are avoiding NCIS like the plague (or pandemic) given the current pack of nitwits in Washington D.C. running the circus.
I live in KY, but many retailers still insist on doing the NICS even with my CCDW permit. Annoying and another $10 I have to waste. They had the gun on sale, and I would have had to pay more elsewhere… Corporate blockheads are bad for customer satisfaction… I’ll buy elsewhere if the deal isn’t significantly better.
They should not be charging you. NICS is free.