The public’s appetite for the most advanced and safest firearms did not dissipate in May, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
Adjusted retail sales numbers showed another increase, even as the overall number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks dropped. The industry trade association sifts through raw numbers of checks and determines which correlate with actual sales and which are conducted only for permits and permit renewals.
Opposition to gun rights has not slowed US sales
From the NSSF: “The May 2026 NSSF-adjusted (NICS) figure of 1,105,758 is an increase of 3.2 percent compared to the May 2025 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,071,685. For comparison, the unadjusted May 2026 FBI NICS figure of 1,780,230 reflects a 10.9 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,998,440 in May 2025.”
What this means is, despite the decline in overall checks, a sophisticated perusal of the data reveals the truth. Firearm sales remain strong in the U.S. despite the best efforts of Second Amendment opponents to eradicate the right to keep and bear arms.
May saw a fourth straight month of increased NSSF-adjusted NICS checks
After a small January dip, weapon transactions increased year-over-year for the fourth straight month in May.
As for NFA items that require NICS checks be sent to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the public’s demand continues to soar since the $200 tax on suppressors and short-barreled rifles was eliminated.
The NSSF reported that April’s figure was up 130 percent, and last month witnessed another increase of over 100 percent.
Given the state of domestic and international affairs, it is not surprising that law-abiding citizens continue to arm themselves. It is a perfectly reasonable action from a free people faced with uncertainty.
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