By Glen Wunderlich
Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
If anyone has tried to purchase ammunition for their chosen deer gun recently, they’ve noticed a shortage on the shelves. Firearms retailers have resorted to gun-purchase waiting lists for customers and have little or nothing on hand. Although these conditions have become an annoyance in recent years, it’s gone far beyond that now. Fear has raised its ugly presence, once again, and has materialized right before our eyes.
While the Left threatens gun confiscation by notables such as Beto O’Rourke and others suggest imposing mandatory gun buybacks, sales continue to ascend to unprecedented levels.
Consider the most recent National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) figures. Although not an actual reflection of firearms purchases, the NICS numbers are the best means available to track the firearms market.
Cyber Monday produced some astounding numbers, with totals up 65.2% over 2019. And, that was a record year!
Overall, November 2020’s numbers set another record with adjusted NICS figures: 1,949,141- an increase of 45.2 percent over 2019 – the previous record year.
Year-to-Date, there have been 19.1 million adjusted NICS checks. According to the NSSF’s Retailer Surveys, nearly 7.7 million people were first-time firearms buyers in 2020.
Here is what the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade group representing firearms manufacturers – indicates according to its Director of Public Affairs, Mark Oliva.
“November background checks are in line with what we’ve seen all year long. Americans continue to purchase firearms at record pace for a variety of reasons, including concerns for personal safety, onerous gun control plans by a Biden-Harris administration and for lawful purposes including recreational shooting, hunting and self-defense.
The fact that the pace of these sales hasn’t slowed since March shows Americans value their Second Amendment freedoms and will exercise the right to keep and bear arms of their choosing.
Politicians looking for a mandate on firearms should examine the record setting figures Americans are posting every month with firearm sales. Americans have told their elected representatives more than 19 million times exactly where their voters stand when it comes to their rights, more than 7.5 million making that declaration publicly for the first time in their lives.”
Like it or not, this is our reality.
If you are a gun owner and have a mind to rid your gun safe of some useless clutter, now’s the time to profit. Based on sales prices of used guns I’ve tracked at Gunbroker.com, it appears as though just about any firearm’s value has skyrocketed– in most cases even doubled over their value a few years ago.
Of course, a firearm is of no practical use unless ammunition is available and it too is being gobbled up as soon as it is put on the shelves. Production capacity of both firearms and ammo are at maximum levels, but you wouldn’t know it by visiting retailers.
Next week, I’ll suggest means for law-abiding Americans to combat the fear-induced shortages that are upon us.
