Posted on 03/12/2020 4:39:04 AM PDT by marktwain
Courtesy Dean Weingarten
The National Instant background Check System (NICS) checks for February 2020, have broken all the previous records for the month, with 2,776,380 checks. This signifies very little because more than half of the NICS checks are for carry permits and carry permit rechecks.
Illinois and Kentucky perform hundreds of thousands of permit rechecks every month, skewing the system, which renders the total number useless for estimating gun sales.
Instead of total NICS checks, we now calculate a much closer approximation of total gun sales, consisting of NICS checks done for handguns + checks for long guns + checks for other guns + 2.5 x checks done for multiple sales on the 4473 form.
Handguns + Longuns + Others + 2.5xMulti = 1,244,177 firearm sales recorded in NICS in February of 2020.
Last year, in 2019, the numbers were handguns (601,381), Longuns (355,744), Other (43,426) and Multiple x 2.5 (59,705) total gun sales of 1,060,255.
February 2020 sales are slightly higher than the number in 2018 (1,228,888).
The February 2020 numbers are less than 14% below the all-time record set in February of 2016, of 1,413,828, which was extraordinarily high for February, one of the top ever months in NICS history.
In February of 2016, the numbers were: handguns (848,213) Long Guns (468,229) Other (25,533) and 2.5 x Multiple (71,853).
It is not difficult to find several factors for the high levels of gun sales in February 2020. The economy is booming (pun intended). High levels of advanced manufacturing, with a high level of competition, has pushed gun prices to historically low levels in constant dollars, while maintaining high levels of functional, if not esthetic, quality.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
I picked up a real bargain for Mrs. L. A used XDS in .45 complete with all the accessories in the factory hard case. Out the door for $300 tax and NICS check included.
Sweet little pistol. She loves it.
L
They're going for twice that on Gunbroker.
Why do I do that?
As it is now, we have laws that forbid certain citizens that are not currently incarcerated from owning firearms. We have background checks to make sure they don't buy firearms. They know full well to not buy firearms. And they don't. But, real criminals will steal firearms. If they want a weapon, they get a weapon, background check or not. So what good comes from background checks? Do they make people feel all warm, fuzzy and safe? Or do they needlessly inconvenience law abiding citizens while never doing what they are intended - keeping weapons out of criminals hands.
If you want weapons out of criminals hands, give them real sentences for real crimes and put them in jail.
As for background check for the mentally ill, even they have the right to defend themselves. They are not criminals until they break the law.
What part of shall not infringe don't people get?
Or do they needlessly inconvenience law abiding citizens while never doing what they are intended - keeping weapons out of criminals hands.
They make some people feel warm, fuzzy, and safe. Those are the ignorant people who think: guns bad.
Yes, they needlessly inconvenience law abiding citizens, while having no real practical effect on criminals.
Now that we have agreed...
Gun sales are up for sure at my range. I watched 3 guys walk in and buy their first pistol just this past Sunday.
It’s a combination of people that are in fear about the virus fallout AND husbands taking advantage of their wives’ fear about the virus to get permission to do what they’ve always wanted to do anyway.
Still, if you are just now buying your first gun, you are a bit behind the curve and need to train FAST!
Ruger stock (RGR) has gone from $51 to $39. It should rebound nicely.
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