July Marked The 48th Straight Month – 4 Years – Of Firearm Sales Over 1 Million

Gun Nation just passed a significant milestone. July was the 48th consecutive month with one million or more adjusted background checks, the best measure of retail gun sales. That's a very big deal for a couple of reasons.

First, the NSSF's adjusted number is really a minimum. It doesn't account for sales of multiple firearms in on transaction and it doesn't include sales in states that don't require background checks for carry permit holders (never mind private sales).

Second, the line between Gun Nation and the country as a whole grows more blurred by the day. Given the fact that recent research shows the number of gun owners may actually be as high as 60%, America is increasingly becoming Gun Nation.

Some will say 48 straight months is notable given the current administration's never-ending attacks on gun makers and civilian firearm ownership. In fact, Americans' appetite for guns and the exercise of their Second Amendment rights is as high as it is because of the Biden war on guns, not in spite of it. Nothing makes Americans want something more than duplicitous politicians and the complicit media telling them they shouldn't have it.

Here's what the NSSF's Mark Oliva had to say about the latest numbers . . .

This is a remarkable milestone of four continuous years of over 1 million background checks for the sale of a firearm. That's no small achievement and is indicative of the strong and sustained appetite for law-abiding Americans to take ownership of their Second Amendment rights.

It also shows the resilience of the firearm and ammunition industry to meet this continued demand for high-quality firearms that today's gun owner expects. This milestone was achieved in the midst of the continuous attacks by the Biden administration which has demonstrated nothing but contempt for the Second Amendment and has twisted the levers of government to impede the ability of law-abiding citizens to legally possess firearms of their choosing.

Americans are sending a clear signal each and every month. The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not up for negotiation.

Here's the NSSF's press release announcing the July numbers . . .

The July 2023 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,023,903 is a decrease of 17.0 percent compared to the July 2022 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,233,115.

For comparison, the unadjusted July 2023 FBI NICS figure 1,987,650 reflects a 15.7 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,358,150 in July 2022.

July 2023 marks the 48th month in a row, 4 years, that has exceeded 1 million adjusted background checks in a single month.

Please note: Twenty-four states currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms. 

It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.

Dan Zimmerman

Find the original article in its entirety at The Truth About Guns.