Gun Sales Plunge Nine Percent in February

Yr-over-year background checks on gun gross sales declined sharply within the first full month of Donald Trump’s second time period.

An trade evaluation of numbers from the Nationwide Instantaneous Legal Background Examine System (NICS) discovered People purchased about 120,000 fewer weapons in February 2025 than they did in February 2024. The drop from 1,343,478 checks to 1,222,980 represents a few nine-point decline, in response to the Nationwide Taking pictures Sports activities Basis (NSSF).

That makes final month the second-worst performing February during the last 13 years, with solely 2018 seeing fewer gun-sales-related checks.

The gross sales drop could sign the start of one other “Trump Stoop.” Whereas many gun trade members backed Trump and he’s more likely to institute reforms they like, his pro-gun repute amongst supporters dampens demand based mostly on issues new federal restrictions might restrict which weapons they will purchase. That’s a part of the rationale gun gross sales declined throughout the first three years of his time period, usually falling beneath ranges seen throughout Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s phrases.

Trump has additionally put gun coverage on the again burner throughout the first few weeks of his administration regardless of shifting swiftly and aggressively in lots of different areas. He didn’t point out gun rights in his first speech to Congress this week, and the White Home left weapons off its literal precedence record. He has even prioritized different issues over the pursuits of the firearms trade at occasions.

As an illustration, in an obvious effort to tighten export controls, the Trump Administration shut down all export licensing. That freeze hit firearms exporters, who had simply completed a months-long pause of some licensing on the tail finish of the Biden Administration.

“That is unprecedented,” Larry Keane, NSSF common counsel, informed The Reload on the time. “That’s by no means been executed beforehand when there was a change in administration.”

“This sort of act, I haven’t seen it earlier than with modifications in administration,” Johanna Reeves, a lawyer who works with firearms exporters, additionally informed The Reload throughout the freeze. “I believe it’s actually sort of nuts what’s happening proper now. I imply, it’s nuts!”

Nonetheless, Trump could finally ship on coverage modifications the trade desires to see–even repealing the exporting limitations imposed by the Biden Administration. He ordered Legal professional Common Pam Bondi to evaluate govt department gun insurance policies, particularly new gun restrictions imposed by the ATF throughout Biden’s presidency, and eradicate any she believes conflicts with the Second Modification. The export freeze additionally seems to have been lifted.

The Commerce Division didn’t reply to repeated requests for remark, however each Keane and Reeves confirmed they’d heard the division lifted the licensing pause the day after The Reload revealed a narrative on it.

“I’m now listening to phrase that the pause is lifted,” Reeves informed The Reload. “By means of the grapevine.”

“[Commerce] knowledgeable NSSF that the pause has been lifted Again to doing enterprise!” Keane tweeted.

The reprieve ought to assist soothe some nerves within the export section of the gun trade and stop a considerable slowdown within the sector. Nevertheless, the dearth of communication for both the freeze or the thaw might create uncertainty about whether or not one other pause might occur. The licensing backlog should still create difficulties, particularly if the Trump Administration reduces Commerce Division staffing in the same method its executed with different federal businesses.

“I actually do not know why BIS isn’t speaking on the freeze. It’s perplexing. When it comes to my ideas now that it’s over, I’m involved over the backlog it created,” Reeves stated. “Add on high of that the departures to date and the numerous lower in institutional information, it’s not good for trade.”

The gun gross sales slowdown throughout Trump’s first administration led to important bloat available in the market, which brought about various companies to falter. Nevertheless, the gun trade could also be higher positioned to soak up a requirement slowdown this time, having already been by the phenomenon as soon as.

Moreover, Trump’s first time period ended with file gun gross sales. The right storm of motivating elements, from the pandemic to George Floyd’s homicide and subsequent rioting to the 2020 election, despatched demand hovering. These occasions mixed to create thousands and thousands of recent gun homeowners, giving American gun firms extra alternatives to promote firearms and ammo to extra folks on a extra constant foundation.

Mark Oliva, an NSSF spokesperson, pointed to the brilliant aspect of the February NICS report. He famous that even in a down month, People nonetheless purchased greater than one million weapons.

“Persistently, month-after-month, over 1 million People select to freely method the gun counter to buy a firearm,” he stated in an announcement. “February’s NSSF-Adjusted NICS determine of over 1.2 million background checks for the sale of a firearm at retail is indicative of the continued want of People from all walks of life enter into lawful and accountable firearm possession.”

The numbers aren’t excellent, in fact. By federal regulation, the US has no nationwide gun registry. So, there isn’t any strategy to observe each gun bought.

Nevertheless, federal regulation requires licensed sellers to conduct a NICS examine on all of the weapons they promote to prospects. Moreover, solely licensed sellers can promote new weapons. Nineteen states additionally require all gun gross sales, even used gross sales on the secondary market, to be processed by licensed sellers.

NSSF’s evaluation of NICS checks breaks out NICS checks associated to gun gross sales from all other forms of checks executed by the system. That gives a extra dependable indicator of gun gross sales than the uncooked variety of NICS checks since many states use NICS checks of their gun-carry allowing processes, and a few even re-check tons of of hundreds of permittees each month.

Nonetheless, most states don’t require used gun gross sales between personal events to undergo a licensed seller and, by extension, a NICS examine. 24 states additionally enable these with a qualifying allow, resembling a hid carry allow, to purchase weapons with out going by a subsequent NICS examine. So, even the NSSF numbers aren’t a direct one-to-one illustration of what number of weapons are bought in a given interval, even when they signify the closest analog.