Gun Sales Continue To Skyrocket In 2017
When Donald Trump won the White House there were some in the gun industry who probably felt a little worried. Gone was the feeling of having an anti-gun President, but the feeling that American's might not want to purchase guns entered the minds of many. While President Trump supports the 2nd Amendment and gun enthusiasts are feeling better about the 2nd Amendment being protected, that hasn't stopped American's from buying guns.
According to the Washington Examiner, 2017 is on pace to be the second biggest year for gun sales and it's possible that sales could beat last year's figures.
New gun background check data released Thursday by the FBI revealed that 12,601,102 checks have already taken place this year. Background checks are seen as a good gauge of gun sales, though not all sales have to go through the system and some sales are rejected.
In June, the FBI conducted 1,901,768. That is 229,717 less than in June of 2016. In May, there were more background checks conducted than in May 2016. Last year a record 27,538,673 checks were conducted. This year is likely to surpass 25 million, but current cut-rate deals could spike sales, according to industry representatives.
Due to the contentious election and spurts of terrorism and crime, 2016 was the biggest year ever for gun sales and FBI background checks.
In 2017, the concern with terror still exists and Americans are still getting concealed carry permits. In Texas, the price of obtaining a License to Carry will drop to just $40 in September which could trigger a rush of people getting a permit and along with that new permit could be a new firearm purchase.
Firearm owners I've spoken with are still purchasing guns, but they are doing it out of enjoyment this year compared to buying out of fear in previous years. Look for the trend to continue.