After July sales at American gun stores dipped below the one-million mark for the first time in years, August brought a rebound. While firearm sales in August 2025 didn't quite match August 2024's totals, the industry still cleared the one-million mark - keeping dealers and manufacturers from sweating too much.

Recent headlines give some clues as to who's buying and where. A Long Island town council banned gun sales outright, California rifle sales have plummeted more than 50 percent, Mississippi offered a Second Amendment sales tax holiday, and the GAO has even launched an undercover investigation into online firearm purchases. All of this points to just how varied the firearms landscape can look depending on where you live.

Of course, there's always the question of how these sales are actually tracked. The closest thing to a national metric is the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Anytime someone buys a gun from a licensed dealer, a NICS background check is run. But here's the catch - one NICS check might represent a single firearm, several firearms, or none at all if the sale falls through.

Some states even run their own background systems, making the data less clear. That's where the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) comes in. They filter the NICS data through their own formula, giving the most accurate possible picture of sales across the country. Think of it a bit like the "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" scoreboard - imperfect in raw form, but useful once properly adjusted.

According to the NSSF, August 2025 saw 1,091,342 firearm sales at U.S. dealers, covering both handguns and long guns. That's down from 1,210,995 sales in August 2024 - a 9.9 percent drop year over year. Unsurprisingly, Texas and Florida topped the charts for sales. Perhaps more surprising is that California, despite its reputation as one of the least gun-friendly states in the nation, still ranked third.

As Mark Oliva, public affairs director for the NSSF, explained, "These figures are more than data points. They represent Americans from all walks of life who are, quite literally, investing in their safety, security and freedom." And in today's climate, where the headlines can shift from unsettling to alarming overnight, it's no wonder many Americans are still heading to the gun counter.

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Until next time, stay locked and loaded.
- Randy, Locked N Loaded