These Record-Breaking Sales Will Disappoint Gun Grabbers

Perhaps the recent vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death has prompted more Americans to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The upcoming uncertainty of the presidential election might be another factor. But what’s certain is that last month’s gun sales broke records.

From the The Free Beacon:

The FBI performed 2,523,265 firearms-related background checks between March 1 and March 31, according to the agency’s records. That’s a new record for the month. It’s nearly 35,000 more checks than the previous record set in March 2014.
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FBI background checks are widely considered a reliable gauge for gun sales because all sales conducted through federally licensed firearms dealers must include one. Some states also require private sales between non-dealers to include a background check. However, many states do not.

Many states also require FBI background checks as a part of the process for obtaining a gun carry permit. The FBI does not consider background checks a perfect record for the exact number of guns sold each month. “Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale,” the agency noted on their background check report.

Law-abiding Americans who support gun rights have reason to worry about infringement. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in a decision Justice Scalia wrote) in 2008 that the Second Amendment grants an individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, outside of a “militia,” the case was decided 5-4. A slim majority.

With a conservative vacancy on the court, that’s one less Second Amendment-supporting vote.

“These ongoing new monthly records reflect the concerns Americans have about crime, terrorism, economic turmoil and the political class gun prohibition attempts to disarm them,” the Second Amendment Foundation’s Alan Gottlieb told The Free Beacon. “They are voting with their checkbooks and buying more firearms and ammunition. People have a real fear about where we are headed.”