Gun sales again break records for the third straight month.

Washington Free Beacon/Getty. 

The FBI reports that for the third straight month gun background checks have broken records. Washington Free Beacon. 2,002,992 background checks were performed last night, more than any other May on record. April and March also broke records. Background checks aren't an one to one record of gun sales as multiple guns can be sold in one setting, most states don't require checks on private sales and some states use the system to check for permits. The gun control push after the Parkland shooting in Florida appears to be driving sales. AR's and AK's have especially taken off. 

The FBI data can be found here.  

My Comment:

As gun control fades into the background a bit, it's clear that the sales are still going strong. Historically, gun sales tend to slump in Spring and Summer but that doesn't seem to be the case this year. People still want guns and are buying them up like hotcakes. 

It's very clear that the new gun control push is why people are buying weapons. I know from my own attempts at shopping that many of the guns sold are in states with new gun laws. I have seen that you can still get AR's but if you wanted one that is legal in states with magazine limits, for example, you are completely out of luck unless you want a top of the line expensive model. The backorders are for months. 

The great irony of gun control is that nothing drives sales better than a gun control push. People want to buy weapons so that if they do end up being banned they may be grandfathered in. And if they aren't then they can potentially defend themselves in the ensuing civil war... 

I mentioned that I was looking to purchase a gun myself. I ended up passing for the time being largely because everything that was both in my price range and caliber I wanted was pretty much sold out. I wasn't really looking for an AR, but PCC's are pretty out of stock as well. So I am guessing that if the gun companies could keep up with demand the sales would even be higher than they appear now. 

I also know that there are a lot of gun buyers out there as well. I have talked to a few people that picked up new pistol or rifle recently, though not all of them bought because of the new gun control push. Other concerns, like self defense or just wanting a range toy were major factors as well. 

So will this sales trend continue? It depends. With the school season over it's unlikely their will be any major school shootings anytime soon. This is very welcome, given how hard the media was pushing school shooting coverage, which is a major driver of the attacks. I do think that if the Democrats manage to take the house in November there will be a fire sale that will make the past three months look like a joke...