Gun sales, carry permit applications on the rise nationwide
In the wake of the San Bernardino mass shooting and President Barack Obama’s subsequent executive actions intended to address the issues of gun violence, gun sales and concealed carry permit applications have climbed nationwide.
According to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, a total of 2,545,802 background check applications were submitted nationwide for the month of January alone. Although this represents a decline from December’s more than 3.3 million, that number is up 44 percent from last January’s 1.8 million.
In almost every state, 2016’s January background checks exceeded the numbers from last year’s, although they shrunk from December’s numbers, according to recent NICS reporting.
Only Kentucky saw a decline from last January. Last month accumulated 308,824 checks, down by 18,395 from last year.
But in states like Illinois, Indiana and Iowa background checks for gun sales have climbed, with the number of applications exceeding not only what they were January 2015, but also what they were in December.
According to the NICS figures, in January of last year Illinois had 96,712 applications, while this year they had 189,400; Indiana had 67,533 applications last year, with 230,892 this year; and Iowa had 12,562 last year, with 26,714 this year.
Additionally, permit applications have been on the rise across the nation as well.
In Iowa, The Des Moines Register reports that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office saw around 1,000 more carry permit applications last month than they usually receive, and Scott County residents are having to wait two to three weeks longer than normal to receive permits.
Additionally, media reports from Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina also indicate that interest in carry permits is climbing.
And two of the top 10 highest days, as well as six of the top 10 highest weeks, for background checks occurred at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, according to NICS.
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Source: http://www.guns.com/2016/02/04/gun/
