America is locked in to a 16 consecutive months of record gun sales, with April guns sales hitting at least 1.8 million and FBI background checks at over 3.5 million, the Washington Examiner reported.
The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System logged more background check in April 2021 than in any other April on record, according to agency statistics. The FBI also said it has set records for every month all the way back to December 2019.
President Joe Biden's recent gun control efforts have been credited for much of the most recent activity, especially his efforts at restricting semi-automatic weapons. The AR-15, the most popular rifle on the market, is particularly in the crosshairs of those seeking to ban guns.
At least 1.8 million firearms were sold last month, another record for the month of April, the Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting group told the Examiner.
"The April 2021 number of just over 1.8 million firearms sold is large," SAAF Chief Economist Jurgen Brauer said. "In fact, it is the largest April figure on record. While the year-over-year percentage increase of 2.1% is relatively modest, it nonetheless represents growth on top of last year's COVID-19 panic-driven sales boom. Handgun sales declined in April 2021 relative to the same month last year, so that long-gun sales drove this April's overall increase."
Before Biden was elected, gun sales were attributed to the COVID pandemic, with many people using their stimulus relief checks to purchase guns.
"Sales continue to be brisk, and we're showing growth in the 25%-35% range compared to last year," Justin Anderson, marketing director of Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, N.C., told the Examiner. "This is more natural growth and isn’t strictly being driven by political or other outside forces.
"More than likely, many of the 8 million people that bought their first gun in the last year have caught the bug and are buying more guns and accessories," he added. "While ammo remains scarce, Remington's ammunition plant is back online, and we think this will help to mitigate the unprecedented demand. We expect another busy summer, both online and in the store, and another record year."
Some people are buying guns out of newfound sense of fear.
"It just seems like we live in chaos and this is giving me some kind of control over that chaos," Atlanta resident Syra Arzu, 38, a first-time gun buyer, told CNN in March.
A friend of Arzu decided to buy a gun after Arzu purchased hers, and another friend went to a gun store to pick his gun up when Arzu was interviewed.
"So you're welcome, gun industry," Arzu said.
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