The latest statistics for over-the-counter retail firearm sales last year point to the reality that Americans still love guns. 
 
The year-end data published by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System show 29,854,186 checks were logged between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023, with the busiest single day being Black Friday, which saw 214,913 checks. Compare that to the total number of checks performed in 2022 at 28,904,713. 
 
The National Shooting Sports Foundation pored over the figures for last year and, after removing checks and rechecks for firearms permits, found that no less than 15,848,055 checks were for likely retail gun sales. Further, 2023 continued a 53-month-long running trend of consumers purchasing over a million firearms per month. 
 
“Americans showed they want their Second Amendment rights by the millions – once again,” said Mark Oliva, NSSF's director of public affairs. "These are solid figures that reflect the mood of Americans and the desire to exercise Second Amendment rights. These figures are a reminder of the importance law-abiding citizens place on their personal safety and freedoms, even as the Biden-Harris administration is using a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to chill and ultimately eliminate those rights." 
 
As to what this means for the coming year, Oliva read the tea leaves and forecast an encouraging trend for the firearms industry in 2024. 
 
"History indicates that background checks for the lawful sale of firearms typically rise during election years," said Oliva. "This industry is ready to satisfy the demand for lawful firearm ownership in America.”
 
Banner image: Attendees checking out the display guns at CANCON '23 in Savannah Georgia. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)