The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Ten-year trend

ScottRiqui · February 7, 2013, 01:45 PM

The increase in NICS checks is definitely outstripping the overall population growth. The peak number of NICS checks per year has increased more than 100%, while the U.S. population has only increased about 7% since 2004.

We can't say for certain from the graph that an increasing portion of the population is buying guns, though. It could be that the same portion who have always bought guns have just been buying them more frequently since 2004 (I would fall into that group). But realistically, I suspect that a significant portion of the increase comes from new gun owners as well.

February 7, 2013, 01:45 PM	#3
ScottRiqui Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 2,905	The increase in NICS checks is definitely outstripping the overall population growth. The peak number of NICS checks per year has increased more than 100%, while the U.S. population has only increased about 7% since 2004. We can't say for certain from the graph that an increasing portion of the population is buying guns, though. It could be that the same portion who have always bought guns have just been buying them more frequently since 2004 (I would fall into that group). But realistically, I suspect that a significant portion of the increase comes from new gun owners as well.