An ‘Amazing Time’ for US Gun Business: Sales See Third Best Month Ever

Gun sales in America are booming, as March saw the third highest numbers in the National Instant Background Checks system’s history.

Throughout the month, there were 2,433,092 background checks for gun purchases – which is 198,275 more than in February, the Washington Examiner reported. While the system does not count private sales, it is a good gauge for estimating how many firearms were sold across the nation.

The gun industry had expected a Hillary Clinton win in November 2016, and that as president, she would be cracking down on gun control. In anticipation of a panicked surge of Americans wanting to arm themselves, gunmakers rushed to produce more weapons and ammo, leaving many gun shops with overstock after Donald Trump’s win.

Following the election, stocks in gun companies also went into freefall.

“On the day after the election shares of gun maker Sturm Ruger fell 14 percent. And the price of Smith & Wesson, which has since changed its name to the generic sounding American Outdoor Brands, fell 15 percent,” NPR reported.

Still, gun sales have remained unexpectedly high, as more American women and minorities are arming themselves.

"We knew sales were holding strong, but the amount of business has truly exceeded our expectations and we are looking forward to a record-breaking summer,” Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns, one of the nation's biggest gun shops, told the Washington Examiner.

“We can only attribute this again to people who are continuing to make the decision to take responsibility for their own security. In addition, gun ownership is quickly becoming more acceptable in all walks of life. This is an amazing time to be in the gun business."