May 2016 firearms sales jump 1.1% over prior year

After several months of increased sales of firearms following the December 2 terrorist attack in San Bernadino, CA and President Obama's ongoing attempts to intimidate peaceable gun owners through executive actions, May saw a more modest increase from the previous year.

The May 2016 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 928,532 is an increase of 1.1 percent compared to the May 2015 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 918,707. For comparison, the unadjusted May 2016 FBI NICS figure of 1,860,699 reflects an 18.4 percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,570,893 in May 2015.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide a more accurate picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns.

Now that another terrorist attack is dominating the airwaves, and with Obama, Clinton and their Democrat friends in Congress and the Senate seeking to blame American gun owners instead of jihadists, there is little doubt that sales numbers and concealed handgun license applications will continue on the rapid pace that have become common in the Obama years.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.