Number Gun Background Checks more than Doubled Under Obama

Gun Watch ^ | 28 January, 2017 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

 Chart by David Scott

We do not know precisely how many private guns were added the stock in the United States under President G. W. Bush compared to those added under President Barack Obama.  We will not know the precise number until a year from now, when the BATFE releases the information. But we have a pretty good substitute.  The number of National Instant Background Check System checks, or NICS, is highly correlated to the number of private guns sold.

I have been writing about NICS and the correlation with gun sales for a while. The numbers that were found in an article that compared the number of NICS under Bush to those under Obama were surprising. From mrctv.org:

According to data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, widely considered to be the best metric in measuring firearms purchases in the United States, gun sales soared 60 percent under Obama's eight year stint in office compared to the number of firearms sold during President George W. Bush’s two-term presidency.

I could not find a way to torture the data to come up with the 60% figure that was quoted by mrctv.  Look at the numbers comparing the two eight year presidencies.  If you consider the years 2001-2008 as the years of the Bush administration, there were 77,410,008 background checks under the National Instant Check System.

I realize that much of the buying in 2008 was in anticipation of the Obama administration, but to be scrupulous, President Bush was still in office.  For a clean comparison, I chose 2001-2008 for Bush, and 2009-2016 for Obama. Total NICS from 2009 through 2016 were 157,233,157. That is a 103% increase during the Obama years.

The error is shown later in the article. The author says there were 94.8 million background checks during the Bush years, ending in 2008.

I can see how that error was made. You have to include all the background checks made before President Bush was in office in his totals.  Include all the numbers from 1998-2008, instead of his actual 8 years in office, 2001-2008. With with an extra two years and two months in Bush's figures, you can say that the numbers of NICS under President Obama only increased 60%.

In the real world, the number of NICS under President Obama more than doubled the number of NICS under President Bush. It is quite an achievement, one that President Obama can be proud of.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch

[marktwain]

Twice as many guns sold under Obama as under Bush.

It will be interesting to see how the numbers are under President Trump.

[DanielRedfoot]

Salesman of the decade, at least that’s One accomplishment...

[mountainlion]

The sales under Bill Klinton would be interesting also.

[onedoug]

You know what can be done with background checks....

How about checking ø’s background. THE SOB HAS NO PARDON!!!!

[mad_as_he$$]

They are in decline already. Probably to late to short stock in gun makers.

[Geronimo]

Hillary deserves some credit for this too, the surge in buying guns in 2016 can be largely attributed to the fear amongst us of her being elected instead of Trump...

[G Larry]

Hmm...

10 in this house, during BO’s tenure

[FlingWingFlyer]

Right now, I’m afraid to buy another gun because I don’t want PRESIDENT Trump to look bad. Having said that, I’ve got all the bases covered with what I’ve got. I’ve been concentrating on ammo.

[mad_as_he$$]

Good plan.

[Lazamataz]

AND THE LEFT WANTS WAR WITH US!

AAAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHHAHHAHAHHHAHHAHAHHAHHHAHAHHAHHA!!!!!

[Dr. Pritchett]

Left is increasing their assaults with pepper spray.

Pretty soon, I’m sure the courts with test the question of appropriate response by an armed citizen to incapacitation with pepper spray.

[Lurkinanloomin]

I don’t know what the percentage might be, but a lot of those background checks are for used guns changing hands and do not reflect new guns adding to the total number of guns.

[Boomer]

Then there are all those who didn’t have to go through the check due to being bought as a private sale. I figure 10% more.

[marktwain]

I don’t know what the percentage might be

---

The average is about .6 guns added to the private stock for every NICS check.

That is averaged over 15 years. The numbers change a bit from year to year.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Thanks for the info, I know the checks I added to the number were all used guns, I have a preference for the older stuff.

[Nakota]

“Thanks for the info, I know the checks I added to the number were all used guns, I have a preference for the older stuff.”

One of the benefits of reaching the age of retirement is that most of the firearms you wanted to own when you were a kid are now eligible for purchase as “Curios & Relics” and can be shipped to your door with a C&R license.

[Big Red Badger]

I’m Shopping for a Sharps Carbine...

[rellimpank]

--another statistic I'd like to see would be the number of "assault weapons" sold, imported and assembled since the initial Feinstein crusade began twenty-some years ago--

-this has to be one of the most "unintended consequences" situations in recent history--

[marktwain]

the number of “assault weapons” sold, imported and assembled

---

I would like to know as well.

Unfortunatedly, those numbers are not compiled by the BATFE or the FBI. There do not seem to be any federal numbers.

The Industry shows the numbers to be in the millions, but there are no exact numbers.

[rellimpank]

-—and there must be hundreds of thousands of uppers and lowers and every possible accessory on tables at gun shows , judging by the ones to which I have been-—