Monthly Gun Sales Drop Below 1M Mark In US
It has taken a long time, but the downward trend of firearms monthly sales numbers in the U.S. has finally seen the total for July drop below the one-million-sold mark.
Gun sales boom @ TFB:
The end of an era?
For the past five years and 11 months, firearms sales have eclipsed the one-million mark in the U.S. market. It was a case of two or three things all coming together at the right time, and Americans reacted by going on a buying frenzy.
First, American shooters were concerned that political action would result in gun bans or even seizures. Through the 2010s, they started buying whatever they could afford, and more, and by 2019, that meant more than a million guns a month.
Second, COVID-19 and related events spurred on even more gun purchases, partly over fears of societal breakdown and also partly because there was less other activity to compete for consumer dollars during the COVID years.
Third, before the post-COVID inflation caught up, American shooters tended to have a bit more extra money than they do now, and many firearms had a lower price tag. So did ammunition.
Now, in 2025, Americans do not fear a federal firearms ban or seizure. COVID is a memory, and inflation is sucking up buyers’ extra dollars. Add it all up, and gun sales have been sliding for several months.
The nitty-gritty
Although gun sales declined, they never dipped below the one-million mark until July of 2025, when the National Shooting Sports Ֆoundation estimated there were 978,731 firearms sales in the U.S. Those numbers are washed-and-dried through the NSSF’s interpretation of the federal NICS database numbers (which records gun sales from businesses, but also other transactions that require background checks). But even if it’s not 100 percent accurate, you get the idea; Americans are buying a lot of guns still, but less than they have for the past few years.
That doesn’t mean it’s time for doom and gloom. Gun sales traditionally dip in the summer, says the NSSF, and it’s a good chance we’ll see a return to more than a million sold monthly once the weather cools off.
Professional hoser with fudd-ish leanings.
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Every time there is a firearms or ammo related crisis, whether real or perceived, and folks go into panic buying mode the firearms and especially the ammo industry, gleefully take the opportunity to jack up their prices. Prices get astronomical then eventually recede a bit but the bar has been permanently raised. These corporations that claim to be the friends of shooting enthusiasts piggishly take advantage of consumers and look for a boogeyman to blame. I used to shoot 1000 rounds a week, now I don’t even go every week. I reload most of my ammo but the cost of components is absurd. Primers are usually 3x what they once were and a “good deal” means the prices only double. I have no sympathy
for most of our “friends” in the firearms industry. I Have no doubt the execs are looking for the next fear mongering event to create a resurgent panic buying frenzy.
Erm... why is this article using a photo of a British gun shop?