From NSSF:
The November 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,525,177 is an increase of 38.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,101,076 in November 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2012 NICS figure of 1,997,703 reflects a 30.8 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,527,454 in November 2011.
And from Emily Miller on Fox News.
I have my own theory as to why... politics and the election aside, the economy sucks, people are broke and guns were on sale at Walmart.
In fact this is my old theory from last year. From my own research (note: I haven't done any research) at my local Walmart, they began selling long gun again in 2011 after they had been removed for several years.
I have not found much online about Walmart's gun sales. This WSJ poll is the best information I have found.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is quietly bringing back rifles, shotguns and ammunition to hundreds of U.S. stores as the struggling retail giant seeks to reinvigorate its one-stop shopping appeal and lure more male customers. The world's largest retailer stopped selling hunting rifles and bullets at all but a third of its U.S. stores five years ago, citing diminishing sales. It is now restoring them to hundreds of locations, bringing the total to nearly half of its more than 3,600 U.S. namesake stores, as part of a larger push to restore "heritage categories" of merchandise such as fishing rods and bolts of sewing fabric that it removed in an attempt to go upscale that backfired.This year I noted several of the large sporting good chains also ran Black Friday ads for guns at sale prices.
I myself have never bought a gun a at Walmart; I try to support local gun shops, I have bought lots of ammo there. I don't view Walmart as the evil empire. and in the long run it may help the case for gun rights... After all an "Assault Weapon" can not be much more "in common use" If you can buy it with your groceries.
