Posted on 11/04/2026 6:03:47 PM PST by DoodleBob
Americans bought more guns in October 2026 than the year before.
Checks for gun sales through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) rose 7.9 percent year over year, according to an industry report released Tuesday. A National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) analysis found there were more than 1.4 million sales-related checks through October. That’s up over 100,ooo.
It also makes October 2026 the best post-pandemic October on record, trailing just 2020 and 2021.
The nationwide sales-check spike follows localized incidents of souring NICS checks in the wake of new gun restrictions, such as in Virginia and Colorado. It suggests politics is again influencing American gun-buying habits. While NICS checks have fallen during the first two years of the second Trump Administration, they rose just ahead of the midterm elections that most polling projects Democrats, who’ve broadly backed new gun restrictions, will dominate.
NSSF, the gun industry’s trade group, certainly believes politics are driving the uptick.
“It is evident that gun owners are already voting with their wallets when it comes to their Second Amendment rights, even as Americans are heading to their polling places to vote in federal and state elections,” Mark Oliva, an NSSF spokesman, said in a statement.
The sales-related NICS check surge comes on top of a pre-existing explosion in sales of National Firearms Act (NFA) items, such as silencers and short-barrel rifles. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) records obtained by NSSF earlier this year show 1.1 million silencers were registered under the NFA through this summer. Since the ATF announced a few weeks ago that it would no longer enforce some of the NFA registration requirements in the wake of a federal court ruling, that number is likely to rise at an even faster rate by the end of the year.
The NSSF report is among the best measures of gun sales in America, but it isn’t a perfect gauge.
“It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS,” NSSF said in its report. “They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.”
While licensed gun dealers have to perform NICS checks on all sales to customers, private sellers on the used market aren’t required to do the same. Additionally, several guns can be sold under the same NICS check. NICS is also used for purposes beyond gun sales, such as gun-carry permit processing, which is why NSSF adjusts the numbers to try to capture just sales-related checks.
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
That may be my measuring stick going forward.
I would be building AR15s and AR10s on 80% lowers if I knew how. Maybe it is 70% lowers, I don’t know. Something like that.
People are scrambling to grab the remaining Ruger revolvers on the market.
/s
We might see another 2013-type gun market what with all the commies getting elected.
Well, you never know what the future may bring. Sometimes the near future.
Well, you never know what the future may bring. Sometimes the near future.
How true.
How true.
I don’t know how either but I’m tracking down haunted houses to get ghosts to make ghost guns for me.
Great plan!
I worked on my collection some time back.
Ammo now concerns me.
Exactly, they don’t have to ban the guns, just the ammo, guns just become an expensive paperweight.
Can be done on a decent drill press, I did one of each and ruined a 3rd learning.
Not as good as real milling machne but it got done.
The kenyan did just that. He ordered all the federal agencies to buy up all the .308, .223 and .22 ammo.
That was then. The dims now are more intent on banning firearms and ammo than ever.
Arm up and stock up. It is going to be a rough couple of years.
This Ping List is for all news pertaining to infringes upon or victories for the 2nd Amendment.
FReepmail me if you want to be added to or deleted from this Ping List.
More 2nd Amendment related articles on FR's Bang List.
For mags, https://gunmagwarehouse.com/
For guns searches and prices https://ammoseek.com/
November hunting season.
Who really thinks we are not approaching the End of Days? It is all playing out just as the Bible says. The world turns against Israel, see the disgusting speech by Vance. Everything good these is called evil and evil is called good. While I rejoice in the return of our Lord Jesus I am saddened at how many people will hear the words “depart from me you workers of inequity, I never knew you”.
Oh, you CrAzY Americans and your obsession with firearms! ;)
'We The People' KNOW our elections are fixed. We also KNOW that as soon as the Socialist Democrats have once scintilla of power they will use it as a bludgeon against our God-Given RIGHTS.
That said, I added a sweet little Winchester Wildcat .22 to my arsenal this past week. Won it in a $20 raffle at a local hunt club Meet and Greet. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.