Fear & Loading: Another Double-Digit Jump in Gun Sales

by
posted on October 4, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
sales-up-10-points-words.jpg

Fresh off August’s gun-sales increase of nearly 16 percent, September’s NICS figures indicate purchases last month were up more than 10 percent when compared to the same reporting period last year. May, June and July also posted gains compared to 2018, although they were more modest at 0.7, 3.8 and 1.6 percentage points, respectively.

The trend is a welcome news to an industry caught in a “new norm” in sales that followed 2016, when a record-shattering mark of roughly 15.7 million firearm purchases took place. Annual figures that followed the highwater mark dipped to 14 and 13.1 million.

Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) Chief Economist Jurgen Brauer explained in an Oct. 3 press release, “…the industry will be pleased, having seen excellent sales numbers in August and September that have brought this year’s year-to-date unit sales just 100,000 units short of last year’s sales-to-date (Jan. to Sept. 2018).” Five straight months of improvement—coupled with the approaching holiday-buying seasons—buoys hope that total sales this year could be better than 2018.

SAAF dissected September’s NICS figures by category, estimating “…September 2019 U.S. firearms sales at 1,064,579 units, a year-over-year increase of 10.7% from September 2018. Likely handgun sales (536,306) increased year-over-year by 11.6% while single long-gun sales (439,468) increased year-over-year by 7.2%. All other likely background check-related sales (88,805) increased year-over-year by 24.7%.”

The number of NICS background checks conducted by the FBI—reported by the agency monthly—include a variety of administrative uses, as well as a large volume of carry permits processed through the system. As a result, “total sales” reported by any source are only an estimate and should not precise. Further clouding the issue is the fact multiple gun purchases made at the same time count as a single transaction for reporting purposes.

Latest

.308 Win.
.308 Win.

Handloads: A Quiet .308 Win. For Large-Format Pistols

Of the many commercial .308 Winchester loads, few, if any, are designed for barrels shorter than 16". The one that follows helps address this gap while remaining simple to suppress and light on the wrists.

Court Approves Watchtower Firearms DIP Financing

Watchtower Firearms was granted final approval for debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas in late June.

Review: Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Following the success of its .45 ACP-chambered LC Carbine, Ruger realized that this platform would go a long way toward making the 10 mm Auto more controllable and fun to shoot, and a new 10 mm version was released in 2024.

The Armed Citizen® July 14, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Favorite Firearms: A Little Stevens From Chicago

"Over the next five or six years, and before I went off to college, I fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds of .22 BB Caps, CB Caps, Shorts and Longs through this rifle."

Preview: Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle

The T-Bone from Strike Industries is an ideal fit for suppressed applications, as it can be configured by the user to redirect gas blowback entirely to either side ...

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.