Gun, Ammo Sales Sky Rocket
Although Americans who listen to the national media have been presented analyses concluding that: (a) the economy is in the tank, (b) the economy is not bad, (c) the economic recovery has ended, (d) the recovery hasn’t occurred, (e), unemployment is rampant, (f) people are finding jobs and (g) everyone is out of work, one economic indicator that seems to be accurate (but unacknowledged) is gun sales are providing a large stimulus to the economy.
Gun expert Alan Korwin notes the February 2012 adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) firearm background-checks total of 1,266,344 was an increase of 31.4 percent more than the 963,746 NICS checks during February 2011.
These numbers from the National Shooting Sports Foundation were adjusted to accurately reflect actual firearms sales because some NICS checks are done for states that use NICS to get people qualified for Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) permits (and other purposes)
These figures aren’t exact sales numbers (one NICS check can be used for multiple weapons purposes) and some folks, after an NICS check, don’t purchase a firearm (although most do).
However, if NSSF didn’t carefully figure adjustments, the figures would be different.
For example, the unadjusted February 2012 NICS count is 1,734,646 background checks, an 18.6 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,463,138 in February 2011.
Sarah Brady’s “Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence” allegedly was nauseated the system they promulgated informed the public that 1.7 million Americans sought guns or gun-related actions in a single month.
February was the 21st straight month NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year.
The American economy may be going to Hades, but the firearms industry is a major bright spot in the economy. More information is available on line at MOSSBERG 500 SHOTGUN
Total NICS background checks from its beginning (November 1998) through March 2011 totaled 145.7 million. The most checks for any month occurred during December 2011 with 1,882,000.
Three of the top-10 days for background checks have occurred since “Black Friday” (the record sales day in U.S. history) which was November 25, 2011.
March 2012 was the 22nd straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures increased.
With 145 million background checks for firearms eligibility conducted during the past 14 years, the media’s figure of 200 million guns in American hands today probably is a smidgeon low.
As a sidebar, Ruger stopped taking orders because it has more than 1 million current back orders. Ruger’s firearm sales by April 2012 reportedly exceeded all sales for 2011. Smith&Wesson, Mossberg, Hi Point and others gun manufacturers face similar problems, if one can call extra orders for their products a problem (in a terrible economy).
Moreover, overall U.S. exports of arms and ammunition in six sporting categories increased 48.5 percent in January 2012 compared to January 2011. January 2012 exported units in tracked categories totaled 119.0 million units, up from 80.2 million units reported in January 2011.
However, overall U.S. imports of arms and ammunition in the same six, tracked sporting categories decreased 21.1 percent in January 2012 compared to January 2011 — which means the U.S. balance of trade for arms and ammunition is in positive territory, a plus for the economy – and U.S. arms makers are producing guns Americans want rather than foreign-made weapons.
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