Care To Guess How Many Guns Americans Bought In June?

The FBI’s NICS background check system is a loose proxy for gun sales in the United States. It undercounts the number of firearms sold each month due to the fact that one background check is conducted for the single purchase of multiple firearms by the same individual, the reality that many people conduct private sales, and the fact some states use a concealed carry permit as proof of background checks without making a NICS call (I’ve transferred more than a dozen firearms in recent years without a NICS check).

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That allowed, 2.1 million NICS checks in June is an impressive figure.

June 2016 saw the most FBI gun background checks of any June since the current system went into effect.

The agency reported on Sunday that it processed more than 2.1 million gun related checks in June, an increase of more than 600,000 over the previous record set last year.

That makes June the 14th month in a row to see a new background check record, including every month of 2016. This year is on pace to break 2015’s record  for most checks in a year.

Last month’s numbers are still lower than the first four months of the year, which tracks with standard seasonal lulls in sales for the industry. However, June’s numbers are higher than May’s—a departure from previous years when June had traditionally seen the fewest checks of any month.

I don’t think it takes an expert to suggest that we can continue to see a steady surge in gun sales as we get closer to the November elections, especially if Democrats continue to press their assault on the Constitution in general and the Second Amendment in specific.

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FBI Director James Comey said that despite Hillary Clinton being “extremely careless” with classified documents and lying repeatedly, she will not face charges. This will also likely increase gun sales, as many citizens draw the conclusion that the federal government is corrupt and is becoming a threat to liberty.

It’s going to be a long summer, and likely to only get more tense as we move towards the fall.

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