January 2021 now holds the record for most NICS checks conducted by the FBI in any single month.
Shooting Illustrated – Guy J. Sagi : Thursday, February 4, 2021
More than 2.2 million firearms were sold in the United States in January, according to an estimate from Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF). The number, which represents a 79-percent increase when compared to the same period last year, is based on the volume of records processed through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Purchases made by people with a valid carry permit in regions that do not require the duplicative check, and some private transactions, are not reflected in the federal figures.
The news comes on the heels of 2020 shattering all previous high-water marks for gun purchases in the nation. SAAF estimates that of the 39,695,315 NICS checks conducted last year, roughly 23 million were firearm-sale related. Administrative use of the system, which includes concealed-carry permit application and renewal, account for the rest of the volume.
January 2021 now holds the record for most NICS checks conducted by the FBI in any single month. A total of 4,317,804 were processed. The system began operation in 1998, but until last month failed to reach the 4 million mark, despite December and June of 2020 coming in at 3,937,066 and 3,931,607, respectively.
Most experts agree last year’s upswing was fueled largely by home- and self-defense concerns due to the ongoing pandemic and periods of civil unrest, although politics contributed significantly to January’s spike, according to SAAF Chief Economist Jurgen Brauer.
“January 2021 certainly started off with a sales ‘bang’ due to the turmoil surrounding the confirmation and inauguration of Mr. Biden as the new U.S. President,” he said. “The 79-percent year-over-year increase, however, was not unprecedented—an even higher increase, of just over 100 percent, was experienced in January 2013, the month Mr. Obama’s second presidential term began.”
By comparison, the total number of NICS checks performed in January 2013 came in at only 2,495,440, roughly 1.8 million fewer than last month.
West Hartford, CT, February 12, 2021 – Colt Holding Company LLC (“Colt”) hereby announces that on February 11, 2021, it executed a definitive agreement to be acquired by CZG Group SE (“CZG” or “the Group”) Colt is the parent company of U.S. firearms manufacturer, Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC as well as its Canadian subsidiary, Colt Canada Corporation.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the definitive agreement, CZG shall acquire a 100% stake in Colt for upfront cash consideration of $220 million and the issuance of 1,098,620 shares of newly issued CZG common stock. The agreement also provides for potential earnout consideration of up to 1,098,620 shares of newly issued CZG common stock if defined EBITDA thresholds are achieved in years 2021 – 2023.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Lubomír Kovaík, President and Chairman of CZG, said:
“This merger is a strategic step for both companies. The acquisition of Colt, an iconic brand and a benchmark for the military, law enforcement and commercial markets globally, fits perfectly in our strategy to become the leader in the firearms manufacturing industry and a key partner for the armed forces. We are proud to include Colt, which has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. Army for over 175 years, in our portfolio. We believe in the successful connection of our corporate cultures, the proven track record of the current management team and the complementary nature of the CZ and Colt brands. The combined group will have revenues in excess of USD 500 million and presents a real small arms powerhouse. The experience of CZ and Colt management will further strengthen both brands and ensure CZ and Colt continue to deliver top quality products and solutions to all our customers.”
Dennis Veilleux, President and CEO of Colt, agreed: “We are very pleased with the prospect of such a strategic combination. Having completed a historic turn-around of the operations and financial performance at Colt over the past five years, this important next step with CZG positions the company to take advantage of significant growth opportunities. We are excited to join forces with CZG which will be a powerful combination for both brands and for our customers.”
The acquisition is to be financed from CZG’s existing cash resources, including recent IPO proceeds, and from a contemplated bond issuance by CZG.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval but is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2021.
With this strategic move, CZG will acquire significant production capacity in the United States and Canada and substantially expand its global customer base. Colt is a traditional supplier to global military and law enforcement customers. Among others, Colt is a long-term supplier to the U.S. Army (which relationship dates back over 175 years) and, through its Canadian subsidiary, Colt is a designated exclusive supplier of small arms to the Canadian military.
August 2020 saw more gun sales than any other August on record as Americans continue to rush to gun stores at a record pace.
The Washington Free Beacon
Stephen Gutowski – SEPTEMBER 1, 2020
August 2020 saw more gun sales than any other August on record as Americans continue to rush to gun stores at a record pace.
A Washington Free Beacon analysis of FBI data released on Tuesday found a 57 percent increase in sales compared to August 2019. There were at least 1.6 million sales in August 2020. Only two previous Augusts had broken a million sales, though limitations in FBI reporting means that not every gun sale is captured in the data. August represents the sixth month in a row to set a new sales record with March seeing the most gun sales of any month in the history of the FBI background check system.
Sales thus far in 2020 have soared past previous years. Sales through the first eight months of the year are up 43 percent over the previous record.
“In 15 years of teaching firearm safety, I have never seen a higher level of interest in guns,” Rick Ector, a Detroit-based firearms instructor, told the Washington Free Beacon. “I do not need to advertise, and my phone is constantly ringing.”
A June report from the gun industry’s trade group indicated dealers believed 40 percent of buyers since March have been first-time owners. The group pegged the total number of new owners at just under five million. If the estimated percentage of new owners holds for August, that would mean at least 640,000 Americans bought a gun for the first time in August. The surge in firearm owners could have a significant impact on gun politics and American elections for years to come.
Ector said the sales are driven by concerns over the pandemic, the economic downturn, and recent rioting in places like Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon. He expects the record sales to keep up through the end of the year, pointing to Democrat nominee Joe Biden’s strict new gun-control policies and his lead in national polling.
“Any single issue by itself would lead to an increase of people buying guns,” he said. “We have all four factors ‘in play’ and the run on guns is no surprise to me.”
The number of checks run through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System is not a one-to-one representation of total gun sales, but is widely considered the best gauge because the checks are required on all sales done through licensed dealers. The Free Beacon removed checks from the count that were coded for gun-carry permits or other non-gun sales to reach the final sales numbers.
The Polk County Commission on Tuesday reversed
course from its Friday meeting and approved a resolution affirming its support
for gun rights, including language declaring the county a sanctuary.
BARTOW — Polk County is a Second Amendment sanctuary.
The Polk County Commission on Tuesday reversed course
from its Friday meeting and approved a resolution affirming its support for gun
rights, including language declaring the county a sanctuary.
The vote came after 12 people spoke out in favor of the
sanctuary measure. Several commissioners also indicated they received phone
calls and emails from gun-rights supporters over the weekend.
Although the commission could not take an official vote
during its Friday workshop, four commissioners clearly indicated they had
trouble with the sanctuary language while maintaining they supported Second
Amendment rights. Only Commissioner John Hall supported the entire resolution,
including the language declaring Polk a Second Amendment sanctuary.
That changed Tuesday as the commission initially voted
4-1 to approve the sanctuary resolution with Commissioner George Lindsey
opposing it. Later, Lindsey asked for a reconsideration of the resolution and
switched his vote to affirm the commission was unanimous in supporting the
Second Amendment, he said.
“I don’t want this to be a divisive issue,” Lindsey said.
Commission Chairman Bill Braswell said he changed his
mind because he hadn’t realized the word “sanctuary” was the label adopted by a
Second Amendment movement.
“The word ‘sanctuary’ to some of us wouldn’t be our first
choice,” he said. “When I hear ‘sanctuary,’ I think of ‘sanctuary city,’ and
that’s bad.”
Braswell was referring to the sanctuary city movement
asking local officials not to support some of President Donald Trump’s harsh
immigration and deportation policies.
Commissioner Rick Wilson agreed he reacted against the
word because of its association with immigration policies.
“I don’t like the word. I wish we could change it,” he
said.
Yet Wilson and the other three commissioners declined to
support Lindsey’s proposal to substitute “pro-Second-Amendment county” for
“Second Amendment sanctuary.”
Before the first vote on the resolution, Lindsey said he
opposed including the sanctuary language because one historical definition of
the word is “immunity from the law.”
“That’s the part that bothers me,” he said. “I can’t do
that if there’s an implied immunity from the law.”
Lindsey pointed out he supports the Second Amendment as a
life member of the National Rifle Association, a handgun owner and holder of a
state concealed weapons permit. But immunity from the law “is not what we stand
for,” he said.
Several of the resolution supporters appeared motivated
by the so-called “red flag” law passed by the Florida Legislature following the
Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
That law allows local law enforcement to seek a temporary
court order, called a “risk protection order,” to seize firearms from persons
it believes might use them against themselves or the community. Law enforcement
can get an emergency order to seize weapons immediately followed by a final
order at a court hearing within 14 days.
The law was passed because the Parkland shooter and many
other perpetrators of mass shootings had shown behavioral signs of violence
before the incidents.
“Polk County has a Second Amendment problem,” said Royal
Brown III of Winter Haven, president of Winter Haven 912 Project, a gun rights
group. “We lead the state in the use of the unconstitutional risk protection
order, or RPO, which allows an ex parte seizure of firearms and ammunition
without prior notification, without the right to be represented by a public
defender and without due process based on a judge’s fear of what might happen
in the future. This also violates the legal precedent of being innocent until
proven guilty.”
Brown cited information from the Polk County Clerk of
Courts office, which The Ledger also obtained.
The statistics show Polk did lead the state in seeking
risk protection orders between March 2018 and October.
Polk sought 501 orders during that time followed by
Pinellas County with 429 cases and Broward County with 393 orders sought. Only
five other counties had more than 100 risk protection order cases during that
time, and the state total was 2,933 cases.
The Clerk of Courts also reported a total of 525 risk
protection cases filed in Polk from March 2018 through Nov. 20 with no
additional state data.
Among those Polk cases, 15 petitions were denied an
emergency order, or 3%. Among the 510 emergency protection orders granted, the
court denied a final order in 49 cases, or 10%.
“We ask you to declare Polk County a Second Amendment
sanctuary county and to be aware of the problems with the risk protection
order, including conducting oversight of the RPO process until such time as it
is challenged in the courts and declared unconstitutional or changed or deleted
from law by the Florida Legislature,” Brown said.
Other speakers made more general arguments that the
sanctuary language was needed to “send a message” to the Legislature and
Congress on passing further gun restrictions. Several speakers warned of a
looming socialist or communist threat to take away Second Amendment rights
gradually.
“Florida came within 1% of becoming a socialist state,”
said Glynda White, a Winter Haven 912 member, referring to Republican Gov. Ron
DeSantis’ narrow victory margin over Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum.
“The gun grabbers are coming,” said Danny Krueger of Lake
Wales.
Bob Grimes of Lakeland compared the gradual diminution of
gun rights to livestock being herded into a corral.
“What happens to sheep or cattle when they’re herded into
a corral? They’re headed to slaughter,” he said.
After the meeting, Braswell told The Ledger the
resolution was a symbolic affirmation of the Second Amendment because state law
prohibits local government from passing any legislation dealing with firearms.
For that reason, he doesn’t anticipate the commission acting on any gun-related legislation, Braswell said. “I don’t think we have any authority there,” he said. “This today was a symbolic proclamation.”
Polk County Commissioner John Hall wants to make the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, part of a nationwide movement against proposed restrictive gun laws.
BARTOW – The Polk County Commission will consider becoming a sanctuary county for gun rights under the Second Amendment.
The commission on Tuesday instructed County Attorney Michael Craig to research the relevant law and to present his findings at a future meeting. Craig told The Ledger after the meeting he expects to complete his research and present his findings to the commission at its Jan. 3 or Jan. 17 agenda review meeting.
Commissioner John Hall requested Craig look into a sanctuary measure because he feels Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are threatened by recent efforts for tighter restrictions on gun possession and ownership. Those efforts appear to be gaining momentum recently after well publicized mass shootings in recent years.
“Every time a deranged person picks up a gun and kills people, those of us who are legal gun owners come under attack,” Hall told The Ledger after the meeting. “We should defend the rights of our citizens on all constitutional rights.”
Other commissioners agreed to have Craig research this issue with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Chairman Bill Braswell said he didn’t know whether such a sanctuary measure is necessary but agreed to have the commission look at Craig’s findings. Commissioners Martha Santiago and Rick Wilson agreed.
“I think of this as political theater,” Commissioner George Lindsey said. “This seems to be a solution looking for a problem.”
The Second Amendment sanctuary movement appears to have gained momentum as a backlash against the movement for more restrictive gun laws.
In Virginia, for example, more than 40 local governments passed such measures after control of its legislature passed from Republicans to Democrats last month, according to a Dec. 11 story in USA Today. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has said he would support measures such as universal background checks for gun purchases, limits on the sale of certain types of firearms and a so-called “red flag” law allowing authorities to take guns from persons posing a danger to themselves or others, as determined by a court.
The various sanctuary measures adopted so far vary widely in scope and impact, according to internet research by The Ledger.
Some measures, such as a resolution passed by the Lake County Commission on Nov. 5, go no further than declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary and its support for those rights. The Ledger obtained a copy of that resolution.
Other measures go a step further and declare county officials will not cooperate with federal or state law enforcement authorities carrying out gun restrictions they consider unconstitutional.
That’s similar to the stance taken by some local governments over cooperating with federal officials enforcing immigration laws considered too harsh or illegal. That gave rise to the term “sanctuary city” or county.
Most Second Amendment sanctuary measures fall along these lines.
But a few, including some Virginia localities, declare their right to nullify any state or federal gun laws they consider unconstitutional, according to a Dec. 11 article on the news site Slate.com.
Hall told The Ledger he favored a nullification measure if the Legislature or Congress passed a gun law he considered unconstitutional.
He would not advocate nullifying a law found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, Hall said.
“The Supreme Court will be the ultimate decider of the Constitution,” he said.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said he was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and advocates that citizens carry concealed weapons through the state’s licensing process.”
But he said he could not support a local law that instructed him to ignore state and federal gun laws.
“State and federal laws always supersede a county ordinance,” Judd told The Ledger. “What I would do as a law enforcement officer is enforce the laws of the state of Florida and the United States of America.”
Judd said he has reviewed dozens of Second Amendment sanctuary laws across the country and agreed they fall along the three categories outlined above.
Hall distinguished between Second Amendment and immigration sanctuary measures because the latter involved people breaking the law to enter and reside in the U.S., he said.
