There were 21,093,273 background checks for firearm purchasers in 2013,
according to Breitbart News, almost two million more than in 2012. Experts believe that public fears of stricter gun control laws, at the federal and state levels, serve to spur purchases.
Gun record checks— which are an inexact barometer of actual purchases— set an all-time milestone in the weeks following the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre,
the Washington Times reported.
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All federally licensed dealers must run customers through the check system. Industry observers anticipate that ammunition sales will increase in 2014 to reflect the numbers of weapons purchased in 2013.
Richard Feldman, president of the
Independent Firearm Owners Association said that "2013 was the best year for [commercial domestic] firearm sales in history — period! That's true for NH to Hawaii."
He said that ammunition has yet to catch up with the demand, according to the Washington Times.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services are moving to tighten controls that would make it harder for those with mental illness to purchase weapons. HHS would enable certain institutions to overcome confidentiality provisions in order to disclose information to the federal background check system, according to the Washington Times.
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