Why are guns so hard to find in 2016?

I decided to ask a local gun shop what all prospective gun buyers are wondering: “Why are the guns I want so hard to find all of the sudden?”

I talked with Richard Mitchell, President of RAM Arms inc in Durham, NC and he told me that this is the highest volume of firearms sales he has ever seen.

“December was incredible. We sold more guns in December of 2015 than we ever have.  January was amazing, February was a really good month and March is starting out even stronger.”

FBI statistics back up Mr. Mitchell’s statements.

The FBI announced the record-setting numbers on Wednesday, which average out at nearly 90,000 times a day last month that Americans took the first step in buying a gun from federally licensed dealers going through a background check.

People are buying many different makes and models, but a few stick out as in high-demand. Richard told TGP that, “buyers are looking for small handguns and ar-15s. Personal protection is their first concern and government over-reach is their next.”

Buyers are also changing. RAM Arms is seeing a huge increase in first-time, female and younger buyers:

We offer intro courses to help new gun buyers store, maintain and use their new firearms in a safe and responsible manner. Those course are being filled at a pace we are struggling to fulfill. Women, younger buyers and first-time buyers are making up a much larger portion of the gun-buying public and we cater to them. It’s awesome to see so many people interested in responsible gun ownership.

That pattern is echoed by firearms sellers across the country.

Demand for popular models is certainly strong, but can’t gun stores just buy more? Mr. Mitchell tells us that the firearms supply chain is in terrible shape:

Suppliers across the country have multi-million dollar warehouses that are completely empty of popular items. There is very little for gun retailers to buy and the gun shop has to negotiate with suppliers by promising to buy a certain dollar amount in order to get the inventory they need. It’s turned buying into a kind of shadow negotiation. No longer can retailers simply drop a purchase order and expect their complete order to be filled. Instead,  most won’t be fulfilled and a negotiation will be required to get anything at all.

So, why are popular firearms so hard to get? Because a record number of consumers have decided that they need to defend their families and take advantage of their second amendment rights while they are still allowed to.