The Barack Obama Gun Surge continues in earnest. Per Bloomberg,
More than 8.57 million guns were produced in 2012, up 31 percent from 6.54 million in 2011, according to data released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which has been tracking the statistics since 1986.
Almost as many guns — 26.1 million — were produced during Democrat Barack Obama’s first term as president as during the entire eight-year presidency of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, the ATF data show.
And sales are still booming. Since Obama took office, 66 million firearms have been sold but, in the last year, Americans have been on an unprecedented binge. The ten busiest weeks for the NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Checks System) have occurred since the president started talking about gun control after the Newtown shooting in December of 2012.
Dave Workman, a senior editor at Gun Mag, today told Bloomberg pithily that “Barack Obama is the stimulus package for the firearms industry. The greatest irony of the Obama administration is that the one industry that he may not have really liked to see healthy has become the healthiest industry in the United States.”
And the trend continues upwards:
The FBI data, a proxy for sales figures, also indicate that the firearms industry enjoyed a solid 2013. More than 21 million background checks were conducted last year, up 7 percent from the 19.6 million in 2012, according to the FBI. Those figures are records and represent increases of at least 19 percent over the 16.45 million checks performed in 2011. Not every background check leads to a gun sale, and a single background check may be used for multiple purchases.
Part of this may be the product of women entering the market. CNN reported earlier this month that,
nearly 80% of gun retailers reported an increase in female customers in 2012, the most recent figures from the NSSF. In Florida, 22% of the concealed carry permits are held by women. In Texas, women hold 28% of concealed carry permits, up sevenfold in the last 10 years.
The rest here.