Whether you want to attribute it to a reaction to terrorist attacks around the world or to the perception that gun laws may tighten in the near future, gun sales have been scorching hot.
In November, more than 2.2 million firearm background checks were run by the FBI on potential buyers. That represents a twenty four percent increase over last year.
The FBI processed a record 185,345 background checks on Black Friday alone!
The manager of Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, Georgia, Eric Wallace, told Gabe Gutierrez on Today, that their business had nearly doubled from the year before. “Ever since the Paris attacks, we’ve had a lot of customers coming in,” said Wallace. “Buying first guns, buying guns to protect their homes, their families, and themselves.”
Interestingly, gun owner Louis Cole said that firearms rated highly on the family’s wish list for Christmas.
“Like any good husband, I asked for the list of Christmas items that you’d like to have and one of the items was a firearm,” Cole said. “Above jewelry was a firearm.”
Under federal law, you are allowed to give a gun as a gift to another person within your state. And the recipient is not required to get a background check in many states. By all means, learn and follow the laws if you are gifting guns within a state or across state lines.
Gun manufacturers and retailers have tailored their marketing to attract more women customers, as well.
“The Well-Armed Woman,” in Scottsdale, Arizona, has enjoyed an uptick in business, including accessories like holsters, concealed carry purses and bullet jewelry for female gun owners.
“The Gun Store,” in Las Vegas, promotes bachelorette parties where women can shoot pink AK-47s.
Carrie Lightfoot, owner of The Well Armed Woman, said, “It is a significant gift of love, to arm the people that you love with the tools and the training to protect themselves.”
Since President Obama’s re-election in 2012, firearm retailers have witnessed the biggest uptick in demand of guns and the sales of gun accessories.