Gun sales surge an estimated 135% in July amid coronavirus, rioting fears

Gun sales surged an estimated 135% in July compared to last year as shops reported newfound interest in self-protection amid recent protests and violent clashes in cities across the U.S. The FBI ran more than 3.6 million checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) last month — a 79% increase compared to July 2019. The 3.6 million figure is the third-highest monthly total ever, behind the 3.9 million checks in June and the 3.7 million checks in March. Gun sales more than doubled in July when non-gun purchase NICS checks, like permit checks, were taken out of the mix, analysts said. “I’m just seeing things we haven’t seen before,” said Larry Hyatt, owner of Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It is fear based.” NICS checks aren’t a one-to-one correlation to gun sales, but they are used as a general approximation to gauge the health of the market. Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting, a research firm, estimated that 2 million guns were actually sold in July — a 135% increase from July 2019...MORE