Have gun stores always been this crowded?

[Scout2Diesel]

Does the NICS data include California DROS info?

[Scout2Diesel]

Does the NICS data include California DROS info?

[17+1]

Everytime a COD player turns 21, a gun is sold.

'I can always go Akimbo with my Glocks, if I need more firepower...'

[Merc1138]

I'm wondering what percentage of folks didn't pass the background check, so they couldn't purchase a firearm.

Otherwise, I doubt that 100 million firearms were sold/transferred in 13 years (avg 7.7 million guns per year, or more than half a million guns per month)

It's actually quite realistic. You're thinking like a dumb californian(the ones that can't name basic things like what the state capital is when people film them on talk shows). Outside of CA, business is booming. Even inside CA, business is booming. Do you think it's a coincidence that with sales through the roof we have (albeit crappy) shows about guns on cable TV now? The population of the US is a little over 300 million, but how many gun owners only own just one gun? 2-6 guns wouldn't be out of the ordinary, and plenty of Americans own 10-50. Plus those numbers don't even include 80% receivers for ARs and 1911s, or building AKs from scratch.

The CMP put a couple thousand milsurp bolt action rifles on their website and sold just about all of them in 2-3 days. People go to JG Sales in Arizona and buy 4 or 5 mosins at a time. The marlin 60 has sold over 11 million units(and still sells) yet it's not even "popular" compared to the 10/22 that's sold 5+ million(sounds weird, but that's the way it is, the ruger seems to be more popular over the past couple decades I guess).

http://www.atf.gov/statistics/download/afmer/2010-interim-firearms-manufacturing-export-report.pdf

That's the ATF report for how many guns were made in 2010. I'll add up the categories for you. It's 5,403,714 guns. Yeah, I'm sure they got sold considering that if you go buy a popular model gun tomorrow it'll probably have been made in the past couple of months. In 2009 it was 5.5 million, 4.3 million in 2008 and so on. That's only manufacturing and export, it doesn't include import numbers.

We're only exporting a couple hundred thousand, so someone is buying them. Plus the freestaters are causing a million NFA guns to be made a year, with another 100,000 NFA forms.

http://www.atf.gov/statistics/

[The War Wagon]

I was in the largest shop in sw PA yesterday, around 2pm. It looked like 10am on a Saturday during a SALE, in years gone by. This is a shop with over a DOZEN floor/counter staff, and it still took a 20 minute wait to finally get a turn with one of them. Insane.

[icenix]

I think part of it has to do just with it being Christmas time.

However, I was watching the news the other day and they said gun sales have skyrocketed in the 6 days leading up to Christmas, but I am sure it was before that as well.

They also said more women were coming in buying, or looking to buy, guns than in recent history. So, a feeling of needing to defend one self is playing a part probably.

I think politics have something to do with it, as does the economy, but I am also sure the whole 2012 thing and people thinking the world is going to end, or at least some huge event is going to take place, has something to do with it as well. Who knows.

[Colt]

As for that CNN story it also mentioned how the Brady folks tried to say that their research shows the increase in gun purchases is all coming from folks who already own firearms. Judging by my non scientific observations (being at places that sell firearms) of those looking/purchasing and the questions they ask, that claim seems totally untrue..

[trashman]

As for that CNN story it also mentioned how the Brady folks tried to say that their research shows the increase in gun purchases is all coming from folks who already own firearms. Judging by my non scientific observations (being at places that sell firearms) of those looking/purchasing and the questions they ask, that claim seems totally untrue..

That's my qualitative observation as well -- lotsa new gunnies (and a surprising share of women) in the Bay Area gun shops this month.

For my part, I went a bit bananas this month, but hey...just trying to stimulate the economy, one gun at a time...

--Neill

[RudyN]

I slowed down this year only bought four. I will make up for it in 2012 though. B-)

Sent from the local telegraph office

[DVSmith]

I was at my local range yesterday and it was packed. I asked the guys what was up. They said it had been that way since the day after Christmas.

[bubbapug1]

I've seen the same thing at On Target in Laguna Niguel. The place is JAMMED and the crowd is definitely not your AR15 or 1911 affecienado calguns members, these are new comers to the sport, and they are shooting for the most part for FUN!! Not just to prepare for the impending SHTF scenario. I see a lot of kids, full families, lots of 12-14 year old girls, which is very rare, and also lots of wives having a blast! I see them wincing in the first few shots, than after 5 mags they are blasting away like gansta's..its very heartwarming to see.

This is fantastic for our sport. The old stereotypes planted by the lame stream media are being thrown out of the window and people realize guns serve other purposes other than robbing liquor stores, killing postal workers, and unarmed students.

Guns are fun, what a concept.

I hope it continues because for each new participant with a smile on his or her face, there becomes one more no vote when the politicians, the ones who have true evil intent on their minds, try to rob us of our rights...

And our rights are to defend ourselves and our right to have FUN!! Two concepts our would be rulers despise in their lowly subjects.

Guns are fun....guns are fun....guns are fun.....guns are fun.....

Could be a bumper sticker.

[russ69]

...these are new comers to the sport, and they are shooting for the most part for FUN!!...

Yeah, lots of young people are getting into shooting. It's great to see, these young people will be our gun rights crusaders in the future.