Gun Sales In August Hit Seven-Year Low

While anti-gunners have been pushing and pushing to restrict guns, we have been heralding the record gun sales as proof that not everyone was as anti-gun as they wanted to delude themselves into believing.

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However, all good things must come to an end.

Dealers processed more than 2 million applications through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System last month, a 7 percent increase over 2017 and the busiest August ever recorded in FBI history. Estimated gun sales — the sum of transfers in the NICS’s handgun, long gun, multiple and other categories — declined 6 percent and totaled just 889,395, the slowest August since 2011.

The slump falls within the industry’s historical seasonal pattern — slow in the summer with a gradual ramp-up as fall gives way to hunting season. Gun sales typically peak during the holidays and taper off again in the spring, federal data suggests.

Dealers processed nearly 479,000 applications for handguns and just under 362,000 applications for long guns in August. The latter represents a 10-year low for the category, mirroring a similar trend noticed in July.

As noted in the above blurb, this isn’t a signal of doom and gloom. It’s kind of what happens.

Part of the lower number of sales, however, probably stems from a couple of factors such as people blowing their potential gun-buying money earlier in the year as anti-gunners pushed for more laws in the wake of Parkland. Most people can only buy a few guns a year at most, so if they buy them in March and July, there’s not a lot left for guns come August, especially as family matters may well step up and draw limited financial resources toward other things. Back to school stuff may be on sale, but it’s not necessarily cheap.

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Add in the fact that despite the anti-gunner push, there’s little reason to believe gun control at the federal level is even a threat, and of course, you’re not going to see massive sales year round.

While there’s reason to worry about the firearm industry, this month of low sales doesn’t necessarily mean much of anything. After all, while there may be a low here and there, what matters is that new products are produced, and the laws continue to allow them to be sold. Over time, the customers will return, and the gun manufacturers will prosper.

It’s just how it goes.

Of course, I expect to see David Hogg and company try to claim some credit for this, but that’s to be expected. After all, he thinks he and his followers can hurt Smith & Wesson’s bottom line. I halfway think he’ll claim part of this is because Smith & Wesson didn’t cave to his extortion attempt.

The firearm industry may be struggling, but it’ll be fine in the long run. No need to worry about that.

It’ll be fine despite the financial industry trying to shut it down. If it can handle that, it can handle anything. Deep down inside, I think we all know that too.

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