US News
FBI: Gun Sales Rock To Second Highest Year Ever Despite Shortages
Background checks for firearms sales have surged despite supply issues, making 2021 the second-highest ever, according to a new review of FBI data.
Already No. 2 for overall background checks, including those conducted for concealed carry permits and security jobs, the top gun industry group said that 2021 sales have joined the second-best category.
“The annual total so far of nearly 15.2 million background checks is putting 2021 on the path to being the second-strongest year on record,” said Mark Oliva with the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
“It is currently behind only the record-shattering 21 million background checks witnessed in 2020 and the 15.7 million background checks conducted during 2016,” he added.
Overall, there were 2,593,168 background checks conducted in October, for a total in 2021 of 33,060,673. When adjusted just for gun sales by NSSF, there were 1,427,264 likely linked to sales exclusively.
“The October 2021 figures were the second strongest for the month on record, surpassed only by October 2020, when 1,769,553 background checks for a firearm sale were conducted,” said the group.
Oliva credited a continued strong gun-buying mood in the country and oncoming holiday sales.
“This continued and sustained pace of background checks for the sale of a firearm, that is climbing in the closing months of 2021, shows the resiliency of the firearm manufacturers to meet this sustained, high-level demand and the personal interest by the American public to participate in the exercise of their God-given Second Amendment rights,” he said.