US record guns sales: Americans bought guns in record numbers in 2020 during a year of unrest

Industry data and firearms background checks show nearly 23 million guns were purchased in 2020, according to Small Arms Analytics, a consulting firm based in Greenville, South Carolina.

That's a 65% increase compared with 2019, when 13.9 million guns were sold, according to Small Arms Analytics.

US record guns sales: Americans bought guns in record numbers in 2020 during a year of unrest

Gee...I wonder why?

It's a lot like that line from the movie "Network".

People are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore.

I used to be the one of the only people in my group of friends that owned a pistol. Now more than half of them do and the others are asking us for buying advice.

It may get very ugly, very quickly if the sh#t hits the fan....

a reply to: Riffrafter

Great to know and I wish them luck in finding ammo for them!

a reply to: Riffrafter

I believe that a lot of them were also first time gun owners, including a lot of liberals.

It's hardly surprising given the way that the media was stoking the level of fear. A lot of people were expecting the election to turn into a shooting war. Or the culture war to become an actual war.

Of course, it was also a year when people hoarded toilet paper, hand sanitizer and canned goods. Half the country acted like they'd just seen a news article about somebody apparently dying after being bitten by a transient, then coming back to life and biting the EMT.

In 2020 the media was hyping thing as if we were about to become cast members in the Walking Dead.

originally posted by: mamabeth
a reply to: Riffrafter

Great to know and I wish them luck in finding ammo for them!

What's up with that?

Seriously....why the ammo shortage? Have people been buying it up?

Like me?

a reply to: mamabeth

Blame the profiteers fort that one.

You know that you can always recycle your own brass, right?

originally posted by: AaarghZombies
a reply to: mamabeth

Blame the profiteers fort that one.

You know that you can always recycle your own brass, right?

Yes, but I've never tried it before.

I'll look into it, although I did buy 500 9mm rounds about a month ago.

Just for sh#ts and giggles of course.

a reply to: AaarghZombies

I believe that a lot of them were also first time gun owners, including a lot of liberals.

Makes sense. It would probably have to be to account for a 65% increase in sales year over year.

That's a huge % increase!

a reply to: Riffrafter

I personally believe you shouldn't broadcast online on
what type and how much ammo you have.
I do know that you can reuse your brass if you have the
proper equipment for reloading.

It's one thing to buy guns and ammo and quite another to actually use them and be proficient in their use. Most of these guns will be put away "just in case" and never be fired.

originally posted by: Riffrafter

What's up with that?

Seriously....why the ammo shortage? Have people been buying it up?

Like me?

I would say that most who bought in 2020 were liberals, so that would also crash the ammo market. A person like me didn't buy either in 2020, why would ? I already have 15 guns and 1000 to 10,000 rounds depending of the type just waiting to be used.

So what that means is there are a ton of people who don't know which end of the gun to pint. I hope they go to a range 10 or 100 times...

a reply to: Riffrafter

That’s why it’s a bitch to get ammo.
I don’t understand why people need ten thousand rounds of 45 when they own one gun.
We use several hundred rounds of 12ga on skeet night but that’s not in short supply.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Now if you've got 10k rounds with 3 rifles, 2 pistols, and a shotgun using 3 ammo types between them, that makes more sense. Although I can see having 10k of 22, it was dirt cheap and fun to shoot.

originally posted by: mamabeth
a reply to: Riffrafter

Great to know and I wish them luck in finding ammo for them!

Right? Shelves are empty. There's a month waiting list at the gun shop. My wife has been itching to go to the range, and I don't think I can afford going through my supply like that.

originally posted by: mamabeth
a reply to: Riffrafter

Great to know and I wish them luck in finding ammo for them!

My friends and neighbors share when we can find it.
A small quantity of ammo brings comfort, with the confidence of putting the fist round where it goes.

originally posted by: Bluntone22

That’s why it’s a bitch to get ammo.
I don’t understand why people need ten thousand rounds of 45 when they own one gun.
We use several hundred rounds of 12ga on skeet night but that’s not in short supply.

Didn't it all go up when Obama entered off too?

So 7 million new gun owners entered the gun club in 2020 and if each bought 200 rounds each that is 1.4 billion rounds that typically are not sold. The bullet market makes 8 billion per years so a 15%+ increase wiped out the market. Before that the market was saturated to where 1000 rounds of 9m was only 200 bucks, but adding 7 million new owners and the typical oh know there is a dem in office buying spree all the ammo is bought up. The raw suppliers raised their rates 15% and so the manufactures raised their rates, and then you get a third raise to the buyer to see instead of 20 cents a round for 9m it went to 70 cents. Looking today it is a solid 60 cents so prices are dropping.

a reply to: Riffrafter

bad