ThinkingAfield.org

RetailBI has released the December 2025 RetailBI Firearm Sales Index, the firearm industry’s most accurate benchmark of retail performance and indicator of consumer purchasing behavior of new firearms, reporting -16.4% for December, with a year-over-year (2025/2024) decline of -12.1%.

Gearfire’s RetailBI believes the firearm supply-chain deserves a creditable, data-driven performance marker to guide new firearm production and inventory decisions that precisely align with true consumer demand, optimizing sell-through rates while preserving overall market health.

For decades, firearm manufacturers and distributors have relied on NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) figures as a proxy for consumer demand when forecasting production and inventory needs. While new firearm sales do require a background check and would be reflected in the NICS results in most cases, this methodology proves to be flawed when considering common scenarios— such as permit applications, used firearm sales, transfers, denials, and multiple-firearm transactions — that make NICS an imprecise measure of new firearm demand. Read more

BANISH Suppressors, the industry-leader in innovative, hearing-safe firearm suppressors, proudly unveils the all-new BANISH 556, the most advanced 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. suppressor on the market. This new hard-use suppressor is tailored for full- and semi-automatic carbines and SBRs and includes sophisticated controlled-flow technology to mitigate back pressure while optimizing sound and flash suppression.

“Everything we have learned about materials, manufacturing, and the dynamic movement of pressurized gas through suppressors has been leveraged in making the BANISH 556,” said Brandon Maddox, BANISH Suppressors Founder and CEO. “I challenged the design team to create a new 5.56 suppressor that offers best-in-class noise and flash reduction, low back pressure, durability for hard use – including a full-auto rating – and overall dimensions that keep it portable and suitable for use by military and law enforcement professionals, as well as armed citizens. The result is the BANISH 556, and a whole new level of performance from tactical suppressors.”

The BANISH 556 is made using a combination of metal additive manufacturing, similar to 3D printing, and traditional machining to seamlessly combine a stainless-steel blast chamber with an advanced Inconel suppressor body. Read more

SPARTA, IL –– Zanders, a premier national distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, is proud to announce the exclusive availability of a limited run of Henry Repeating Arms’ highly sought-after First Strike Series rifles. This special series marks a historic milestone for Henry Repeating Arms as the first rifles ever produced at the company’s Rice Lake, Wisconsin manufacturing facility.

The First Strike Rice Lake Wisconsin Series represents the beginning of a new chapter for Henry Repeating Arms, reflecting the brand’s ongoing commitment to American craftsmanship, precision manufacturing, and heritage-driven design. Each rifle in this limited run commemorates Henry’s expansion of U.S.-based manufacturing and showcases the quality and attention to detail that have made Henry one of the most respected names in firearms.

The Zanders Exclusive First Strike Series Features include: Read more

Fairfax, VA- Today, the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a lawsuit against the NRA Foundation, asserting the NRA’s ownership of the intellectual property used by the foundation. The case, known as NRA v. the NRA Foundation, seeks to hold The NRA Foundation’s leadership accountable for operating in bad faith and withholding funds meant to support the NRA’s charitable activities. The complaint alleges that current NRA Foundation leadership is misleading donors who believe they are donating to support the National Rifle Association’s mission, when in fact, these funds are not being provided to the organization.

“This is a disappointing day, and it should not have come to this,”said Doug Hamlin, NRA CEO and Executive Vice President. “A foundation established to support the National Rifle Association of America has taken actions that are adversarial at a time when the NRA is rebuilding and focused on its long-term mission. I am deeply disappointed that these steps were taken, leaving no reasonable alternative. This action represents a last resort. The NRA’s brand and intellectual property exist solely to benefit the National Rifle Association of America, its members, all law-abiding gun owners, and its programs and services. For generations, donors across the United States contributed funds with the clear expectation that those resources would support NRA educational and public-interest programs. It is unacceptable that those programs are now being placed at risk by actions that conflict with donor intent and the responsibilities of the foundation’s board of trustees.”

Since the NRA established the NRA Foundation in 1990, the foundation has funded the NRA’s educational and charitable programs, such as the NRA National Firearms Museum and Eddie Eagle GunSafe program. Funding for those programs and other has been thrown into jeopardy by the foundation’s current leaders, mostly former NRA directors who were allied with prior leadership and who presided over the scandals and financial improprieties. When NRA members voted to elect a new leadership committed to reform, transparency, and member accountability, the foundation’s hold-over leaders sought to end the foundation’s affiliate relationship with the NRA and now seek to substantially curtail its support of the NRA—notwithstanding that its assets were raised by the NRA, using the NRA name and trademarks, for the benefit of the NRA’s charitable programs. The NRA’s lawsuit seeks rulings preventing the Foundation from infringing the NRA’s trademarks, misappropriating funds contributed to support the NRA’s charitable programs, and blocking the foundation’s attempt to break away from the NRA. Read more