NICS for June 2024 Sixth Highest Year for Gun Sales & Background Checks

National Instant Background Check System (NICS) numbers show firearm sales for June of 2024 were down five percent from 2023. They are still over 1 million for the month. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, this is the 59th month of over one million sales a month. If July sales are over a million, it will be five complete years of over a million firearm sales a month. May, June, and July are traditionally the lowest months for firearms sales during the year, although the pattern is not absolute. Specific events can increase firearms sales. The assassination attempt, which came so close to ending former president and likely future president Donald Trump’s life, is such an event.

There may well likely be a bump up in firearm sales for July of 2024. Firearm prices are at historical lows to facilitate the bump.

AmmoLand recently published a special on Plumbcrazy complete lower receivers for the popular AR-15 type firearms at only $65.99 each. Add a Bear Creek Arsenal complete upper, chambered for .223, on sale for only $215.60, and you have a fully capable AR-15 rifle, sans sights or magazines, for under $300, including shipping, but not transfer fees or sales tax. A capable rifle for nearly all uses, from hunting to home defense or militia duty, all for about a week’s pay at minimum wage. Perfectly serviceable personal defensive pistols are showing similar deals. Several 9mm models are available under $300. Solid .22 rifles can be had for $100 on sale, with .22 revolvers at about the same and .22 semi-auto pistols at $200 – $300 on sale.

With low entry prices and the political insecurity shown by the nearly successful political assassination attempt on presidential candidate Donald Trump, new entrants to the firearms market are expected. Calls for more restrictions on firearms sales and use are likely to push up sales.

Pistols continue to be the majority of firearms sales, with long guns (rifles and shotguns) about 57% of the number of handguns sold. Multiple sales and sales of receivers, which can be made into either handguns or long guns, round out the sales numbers. Of the total sales, handguns account for about 57%, long guns account for about 33%, multiple sales are estimated at 5%, and others are slightly less, with about 4.5% of the total firearm sales. The half percent difference from 100% is due to rounding.

The slide in firearms sales has occurred from the historical records set in the presidential election year of 2020. As seen in the NSSF chart, while sales have fallen since 2020, they remain at highs previously only seen in the record breaking year of President Trump’s election in 2016. There is probably some reluctance to purchase because of market saturation and because of limited disposable income created by the Biden administration induced monetary inflation.

If presidential candidate Donald Trump is elected in 2024, it will take some time for stability to be re-established. The current ruling class sees their power as threatened. The far-Left/Woke forces will see their chance at a complete destruction of Western civilization at risk of failure.

In the event of a second Donald Trump presidency, it’s reasonable to expect riots in major centers of Democratic party power. Those riots may be far greater than were observed in 2020 when the left went all out with BLM legitimization of anti-white and anti-police rioting.

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.