Americans Set Another Gun Purchase Record in April

Katie Pavlich | May 03, 2021 4:30 PM

More firearms were sold in April 2021 than in April 2020, setting a new total record for the month.

"NSSF’s Adjusted National Instant Criminal Background of nearly 1.7 million background checks in April was the strongest April on record and is on pace with the background checks that we’ve seen for more than a year. Background checks for firearm sales were nearly one percent higher than April 2020," National Shooting Sports Foundation Public Affairs Director Mark Oliva released in a statement. "Firearm sales remain elevated on two distinct concerns. Americans are buying firearms for concerns for personal safety and for White House and Congressional efforts to limit and deny the ability to purchase certain firearms. The continued gun control statements by President Biden, many of which have been fact-checked and debunked as false, are driving sales."

"April marked 13 months of elevated firearm sales which have ranged between 1.5 million and 2 million each month. Firearm sales spiked in March 2020 and have remained at unprecedented levels since. It’s a remarkable feat of firearm manufacturers to keep pace with this blistering demand," he continued.

Here are the more detailed numbers, courtesy of NSSF:

The April 2021 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,694,118 is an increase of 0.9 percent compared to the April 2020 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,678,223. For comparison, the unadjusted April 2021 FBI NICS figure 3,485,016 reflects a 21.1 percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,878,176 in April 2020.

President Biden signed a series of gun control executive actions in April, including a ban on "ghost guns," pistol braces without registration and more. In the orders he encouraged the implementation of red flag laws in every state. During his first Joint Session of Congress speech last week, Biden called on Congress to ban a number of widely owned firearms, in addition to magazines that hold more than 10-rounds of ammunition.