More Firearm Enthusiasts Shopping Online This Holiday Season, Retailers Say

Guns.com broke sales records during Black Friday and Cyber Monday week with nearly a 15 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) completed 9.8 percent fewer background checks related to firearms for the week leading up to and including “Black Friday,” according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation estimate.

The numbers are conflicting but highlight some unmistakable developments. Guns.com, for example, offers a wide selection of products, including ammunition, shooting equipment and more. It also brought another advantage to the retailers using its services. “Many of our partners, like Colt, FN America, and American Tactical Inc., contributed exclusive deals and doorbusters for our customers,” explained Jennifer Simunek, senior director of marketing at Guns.com.

It's also worth noting that, even though firearms can be purchased online, those guns still have to route through local FFL dealers so that buyers can complete a background check before taking possession of their online purchase. Online retailers are making that process easier by providing consumers with a readily available list of local FFL holders willing and able to complete those transfers.

"With our growing network of over 2,000 local brick-and-mortar FFL dealers, local businesses also saw a boost in sales," Simunek said. "It’s encouraging to see more and more gun owners making the switch to Guns.com to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”

The Internet-based company’s sales increase reflects a nationwide trend—people aren’t spending as much time browsing leisurely through store aisles, even those in well-stocked FFLs. The spontaneity of an impulse buy has been replaced by varying degrees of research on a smartphone or computer.

It shows in the growing number of times the “purchase” button has already clicked to buy holiday gifts (not exclusively gun related products) this season. Black Friday set a new record for online sales at $10.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. That’s a 10.2 percent increase over last year. Cyber Monday 2024 purchases totaled $13.3 billion, nearly one billion more than the year before.

Sales across all industries for Black Friday and Cyber Monday week were up 11 percent this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Forty-two percent of those purchases were made on the Internet and 63 percent of those buys were made on a mobile device.

Adobe Analytics predicts people will ultimately spend $241 billion buying holiday gifts online this year. The figure represents an 8.4 percent increase when compared to last year’s total.

The trend has been growing for years, but accelerated dramatically with pandemic-enforced social-distancing protocols. For those of us who still prefer to walk the aisles of an FFL and hold a conversation with knowledgeable staff, the extra room to breathe in a store during the holiday season is a welcome change. Unfortunately, those same local gun stores who haven’t already done so need to adapt to the trend and do it quickly. Unless they capture and retain their fair share of online customers, surviving 2025 and beyond is going to be a financial struggle.