Gun sales in April 2022 may be down 20 percent from 2021 but remain pretty strong overall compared to years past (see graph above). Remove the two pandemic years, ’20, ’21, and April 2022 is the third strongest month on record.
The bottom line, millions of Americans are still buying guns!
As Mark Oliva, NSSF’s Director of Public Affairs, told GunsAmerica via email, “April’s NSSF Adjusted NICS figures of 1,359,908 shows that there is a steady and sustained appetite for lawful firearm ownership in America.”
“April’s figure continues the streak of more than 1 million background checks for the sale of a firearm for 33 months and demonstrates that the firearm industry continues to meet America’s strong demand for lawful firearm ownership,” he added.
The full NSSF analysis of the numbers is highlighted below:
From NSSF:
The April 2022 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,359,908 is a decrease of 19.7 percent compared to the April 2021 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,694,118. For comparison, the unadjusted April 2022 FBI NICS figure 2,534,057 reflects a 27.3 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 3,485,016 in April 2021.
The April 2022 figures are the third strongest for the month on record, surpassed by April 2021 and April 2020.
Please note: Twenty-five states currently 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 a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.
Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms.
It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.
In our state anyone with a permit to carry does the paperwork at the FFL, but they don’t need to check NICS. The Feds approved this a few years ago. So, I wonder how many other states have similar OK’S from the Feds.There may be significant sales that aren’t reflected in the numbers.
Almost all states have some form of carry permit or license. In each of those states, if you do not have to have a background check. Even in California.
Consider that there are close to 22,000,000 permits (21.52 million as of 2021). Even if only 10% of them purchase a new firearm, that would be an additional 2.2 million firearms.
In all likelihood, this is a very low number. The firearms industry used to provide a report of actual sales, but I haven’t seen one in a few years.
i am interested in the sig pp322 but can’t find in any of my local gun shops. If i found one with the silencer ready barrel i would buy it today
I see A potential Big Problem Brewing –
All these new gun owners and almost None of them will get “Real Training” in Safety and “Use Of”.
Potential for a lot of AD’s and worse. False sense of Security.
HINT – The Typical Gun Permit Course is NOT Real Training for a “Real Fight/Attack”.
The Permit Course prime objective is to Qualify you as a “Good Person”/Non Threat.
NOT to train you in how to Actually Defend Yourself.
The Idea that they are now Protected when they dont know the 1st thing about what it will really be like, how fast you need to be, how competent/Practiced you need to be, or how to actually use a gun in “Real” Self Defense.
HINT – By FBI Stats you will have only 3 seconds, or less, to: Recognize, Draw, Present, AND get 3 hits on center of a Threat – when surprised and being attacked. Often in low light or dark.
“YOU CANNOT DO THAT” – WITHOUT “TRAINING”/HOW TOO, AND A LOT OF PRACTICE
FBI “RULE OF 3’s:
TYPICAL ATTACKS
– LAST FOR 3 SECONDS
– 3 SHOTS ARE FIRED
– HAPPEN INSIDE OF 3YDS IE 10FT
Can you Draw, Present and get 3 GOOD Hits On Center, from a Surprised Position ??
Maybe in Low Light or in the Dark.
HINT : It takes some “Actual Training” then some Practice – Actually a LOT of Practice.
And NOT just Range Shooting on center. Also DRAW/PRESENT is just as important – maybe more so.
ie You have about 1 second to Draw On Center. “FEW” can actually do that.
If you buy a gun – “GET – AT LEAST – SOME TRAINING”
And not just the Permit Course – which is good BUT – Not Real Training for a Real Fight for your Life.
Get at least SOME “Pistol Combat Training”.
Also – Practice Situation Awareness – See Color Codes of Awareness.
“The best fight you can be in is the one you avoid”.
Training is great but most people won’t expand on that. I say get as much range time and apply what you learned in any training you got! Hell I can show any one what to practice in less than an hour, but will they practice??? I would like to add that your argument that negligent discharges will go through the roof but that didn’t happen with open carry or constitutional carry….I’m not trying to troll you but I am sick and tired of being told what to carry how to carry and what works best for them will be what I must do! I have a G23 and a cross draw, you would not believe the crap I get about it and forget about any type of competitive shooting because you have to do it their way.
Is the reason that gun sales are down is because inventory is generally low in most gun shops? There’s a couple guns I’ve been looking for that I haven’t seen in months yet they’re advertised in gun magazines all the time!!
You’re right about low inventory. Most current models are available somewhere but you may have to go online to find it then pay a gouge price plus shipping & transfer fee to get it. Some of us who already have what guns we need, but might like to upgrade, are putting it off for now rather than pay thru the nose. And that no doubt hurts the overall number of sales.
But, inventory is on the rise now.
I’m seeing guns that I’ve been looking for come on the market with greater frequency in the last 4 months or so.