September was the 62nd month in a row in which more than 1 million firearm purchases resulted in the FBI conducting a National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) to authorize the sale, according to an estimate from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). If the results of a study published by the typically hoplophobic American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) in July are any indication, many of those new owners don’t fit the outdated steretotype of an average enthusiast.
“In 2023, an estimated one third of all Americans owned 1 or more firearms, with notable variation across demographic groups,” it reports. “Historically, rates of gun ownership have been highest among males and people who identify as White, nonurban residents, or politically conservative. However, ownership has been gradually diversifying. From 2019 to 2021, approximately half of all new gun owners were female (compared with 36% in 2015); in addition, 20% were Black (compared with 8% in 20153), and 20% were Hispanic.”
“During a surge in gun purchasing that coincided with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and periods of social and political unrest, an excess of 4.3 million firearms were brought into circulation in the U.S., an 85% increase over expected volume,” the researchers noted. “Most purchases were by residents of households that did not previously own firearms. This new-buyer surge may have accelerated pre-existing demographic trends in gun ownership or may represent a new group of gun owners with distinct characteristics and motivations.”
Regardless of demographics, NSSF estimated 1,156,223 new guns were sold in September, a 1.3 percent increase over the same month in 2023. The number is, however, down more than 50,000 compared to August of this year.
The third-quarter 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 3,432,008 reflects an increase of 4.5 percent when compared to the third-quarter 2023 figure of 3,283,571.
The estimates, although considered a relative barometer of industry health, are recognized as being below the actual number of transfers for a variety of reasons. The primary factor is found in the 24 states that have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit holder—who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit—to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without undergoing a separate and redundant background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states do not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
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