As buyers concerned about violent crime arm themselves, gun sales have hit a "new normal" of more than 16 million annual sales.
The past three years have seen new highs in gun sales and background checks, according to the FBI.
This week the agency said it processed 31.5 million applications for 2022 in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which includes an estimated 16.4 million gun sales. The other 15.1 million applications were for other security checks, including concealed carry permits.
That NICS number was the third-highest on record, after 2020 and 2021, according to the FBI.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the surge in NICS checks and sales suggests the recent high level of gun purchasing will continue.
"This trend is similar to that of what NSSF has witnessed in the past," NSSF spokesman Mark Oliva told the Washington Examiner.
"When a new ceiling is reached on background checks for retail gun sales, the market settles to a 'new normal,'" he continued. "That new normal typically exceeds what the trend line of what was seen before the spike. In this case, there were nearly 13.2 million before the 2020 and 2021 spike. The 16.4 million figure shows that the industry continues to meet a signal from today's gun buyers."
The NSSF will host the annual Shot Show in Las Vegas later this month, which is the largest trade show of its kind in the world, according to the organization.
"There continues to be a strong desire from law-abiding Americans to purchase the firearms of their choice," Oliva added.
Concerns about safety and fears about political violence are behind the uptick in sales, gun store staff told the Examiner. Record numbers of people are also obtaining concealed carry permits, which usually precede firearm purchases, they said.
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