It’s no surprise that we have seen a stunning influx of individuals buying guns.
Whether there are new buyers just having bought their first pistol, rifle, or
shotgun, looking to find ways to protect themselves and their families, or the
more seasoned purchaser looking to add to their collection, traffic has picked
up in gun shops across the country.
–FBI NICS CHART
After seeing the mass influx of customers who have made their way into my “go-to
FFL,” I wondered how this was starting to affect shops across the country.
The FBI’s website chart shows an impressive amount of background checks that the
law enforcement agency ran, totaling 4,317,804 transactions. The raw numbers
are indeed impressive, clocking in at a little over one and a half times the
amount than that of the same month last year.
●We have included a link to the chart
with the information below.
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view
–What brought on this sudden rush in
buying?
The number of individuals in the country that have gone out to buy firearms is
definitely impressive and commendable. I fully approved of exercising your Second
Amendment rights, but the question that was still eating away at me was why is this
surge in background checks was happening? Being a regular at the shop and
knowing the owner, I was able to get a bit of insight into the driving forces
behind these purchases. Many individuals that I have talked to told me that
they are first-time buyers/owners and thought given the country’s current
tensions, protecting themselves and their families has become a number one
priority in their lives. Other individuals have used recent political news as a
way to buy what they can before others beat them to it.
–Is there a light at the end of the
tunnel for things to eventually get back to normal?
I find my friends, family, or individuals I meet in the gun shop continually
asking me this question.
The best way I can answer the question is to say, “Just wait and see what the
following months will bring us.”
Personally, looking at the given numbers for just January and what is going on within the
country itself, I would say that there is a reasonable probability that the
current situation won’t change anytime soon. Individuals around the nation are
more than likely to continue to purchase firearms, and increased sales will add
new firearms owners to these massive numbers. I believe we are looking at
something that could affect the gun industry for months to come, maybe even
longer.
–Final thoughts on everything
happening now?
I show pride in everything happening with the mass amounts of Americans
purchasing their first firearm. The Second Amendment provides us the
inalienable “Right to Bear Arms.” Individuals have the right to
protect themselves and their families. Seeing these record-setting numbers
shows me that people still believe that the Second Amendment is just as
relevant today as when the founding fathers wrote the Constitution. Even though
things are becoming a bit more hectic in finding ammunition and the delayed
response times for NICS, it is worth seeing our fellow countrymen exercise
their God-given rights.
Author: Nicholas Torres