JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If the first 10 days of the year are a sign, it appears unlikely the demand for guns and ammunition will fall in the year 2021.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which is responsible for running firearms background checks, reports that in the first 10 days of 2021, background checks are up 71 percent. It’s unclear the reason for the spike.
Rod Mills, a certified firearms instructor, said his company, Scorched Earth Firearms, was booked from March through December of last year, with people learning to shoot for the very first time.
″What we have noticed a rise in is women or female shooters in the industry. They were part of the 3.7 million in sales last year,” Mills said.
According to the FBI:
- Federal background checks surged 40% to 39.7 million in 2020
- Smith and Wesson, and Ruger reported double-digit increases in sales.
President-elect Joe Biden’s website states that he plans to enact legislation to prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits and gun parts.
Mills says the result will likely be price increases at local dealers.
The FBI reports that more than 39.5 million firearm background checks were conducted in 2020, which is the highest since the agency started tracking numbers.