Gun sales recover in August

By Christen Smith

Gun sales recover in August after a weak summer for retailers. (Photo: Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight)
Estimated gun sales recovered somewhat in August after two straight months of double digit decreases, according to an analysis of federal background check data.
Dealers processed just under 1.9 million applications through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System last month, a 9.4 percent increase over July — this year’s weakest month for checks and by proxy, gun sales, so far. Guns.com removes permit applications and rechecks from the monthly total to more accurately pinpoint sales, though the measurement isn’t exact.
Estimated sales in August topped 950,000, a 17 percent decline from last year. Some 507,000 handguns comprised 53 percent of the firearms transferred, according to NICS. Dealers processed checks for just under 397,000 long guns, the third busiest month for the category so far in 2017.
The sales boost follows a “painful” season for gun makers and retailers, many of which reported depressed quarterly earnings, inventory backlogs and weak consumer demand compared to 2016 — the biggest on record for background checks and gun sales. Checks in June and July fell 12 percent and 26 percent, respectively, as the anniversaries of several mass shootings, legislative pushes for gun control and the ratcheting up

Source: Guns.com