Gun sales in January declined by 0.7 percent compared to purchases the same month in 2025, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimate. There is, however, good news buried under the deceptively flat demand for firearms.
More than a few of the quarter million enthusiasts who applied for a National Firearm Act (NFA) stamp in January to take ownership of a suppressor exhausted their discretionary spending budget for the month, despite the stamp now costing $0. The muzzle-mounted, hearing-healthy accessory itself still costs money, after all, even without the Federal government charging to process the paperwork and perform the clearances that remain in the law.
NSSF estimates the total number of firearm purchases in January that resulted in an FBI NICS check came to 1,198,879. The same month in 2025 the organization found roughly 1,207,557 performed to transfer ownership of a gun.
“January’s background check figures reinforce what many saw at the beginning of the month and was evident at SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas,” said Mark Oliva, NSSF public affairs officer. “This is the Year of the Suppressor. Background checks for items listed under the National Firearms Act (NFA)…is 121 percent higher than they were one year ago. When Congress removes regulatory burdens and taxes, law-abiding gun owners respond by choosing to exercise their rights to both keep and bear arms.”
NSSF’s firearm sales estimates are based on volume of names processed through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. They do not reflect the volume of legal transfers in those states that accept a valid permit in which the purchaser has already undergone the same procedure. Despite the organization’s monthly figure acknowledged as being below the actual number of transactions, it’s widely considered the best barometer of industry health.
