The always-interesting data on firearm and firearm-related sales across the nation are in for April, and they reveal a clear truth. The American public continues to support the Second Amendment and defy anti-gun legislators who seek to abolish gun rights.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the industry trade group, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) conducted 1,193,428 of the mandated reviews of a potential gun buyer’s record.
That marked a 1.6 percent increase over April 2025, but that was not the biggest news.
Beleaguered gun owners continue to vote with their wallets
As Virginia’s new governor continues to rapidly build walls between law-abiding citizens and gun ownership, 2A rights supporters in the Dominion State cast their votes with their wallets.
NSSF Managing Director for Public Affairs Mark Oliva said that Virginia’s whopping 79 percent increase in background checks is a clear indicator that Americans treasure the freedom to keep and bear arms.
“That shows there’s a steady and increasing appetite among Americans for exercising their Second Amendment rights,” Oliva declared. “This is especially true in states where anti-gun lawmakers are threatening their Second Amendment rights.”
Virginia is far from the only state with a surge in NICS checks
With newly minted bans on “assault weapons” awaiting rollouts, Virginia residents are not alone in taking a stand against gun grabbers. Connecticut’s sporting community faces a prohibition on many of these popular weapons, and Rhode Island is moving toward outright confiscation.
How did their citizens respond in April?
Connecticut saw a 28 percent leap in NICS checks, and Rhode Island posted a 54 percent increase over April 2025.
And recall the Supreme Court’s 2008 Heller decision. Justices set the precedent that firearms in “common use” for lawful purposes, of which the enormously popular AR-15 is absolutely one, are protected by the Second Amendment.
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