Could all the talk about the gun industry’s “Trump Slump” be much ado about nothing? A quick look at newly released March numbers certainly dispels the idea of a precipitous drop so often proclaimed by those in the media: Figures show an increase in gun sales of 5.2 percent over the same period last year.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) adjusted totals—which remove any NICS checks that do not result in sales—1.36 million were performed in March. This compares to last year’s March total of 1.29 million.
While the numbers don’t represent actual firearm sales—only buyer checks—the findings indicate that demand for guns remains strong. As NSSF spokesperson Michael Bazinet told the Washington Free Beacon, “Despite the mainstream news media narrative, which has overemphasized the political component of sales, the sky is not falling for the firearms industry." He noted that we’re seeing a natural cyclical downturn, but “the valley floor is also considerably higher after a decade of increasing participation in the shooting sports.”
