But they don’t.
Misguided governors and state legislators continue to lead the charge against individual liberties, especially in states such as Illinois and Washington. But even as more federal judges see through these backdoor attacks on individual freedoms, some states persist in their zeal against firearms.
In recent days, a federal judge granted a temporary injunction against Illinois’ sweeping ban on so-called “assault weapons.” This marked a clear victory for gun owners, but even the most optimistic knows they are not out of the woods yet.
That is why these anti-gun governors and their legislative supporters are some of the best salespeople the weapons industry could ever have. When Americans feel their liberties slipping away, they react. And increasingly, they react to assaults on the Second Amendment by exercising those exact same rights that leaders want to eradicate.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, April saw a surge in U.S. gun sales. What is telling is that the uptick was fueled largely by increased business in Illinois, Oregon, and Washington.
There were 1,369,296 FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) verifications during April. This is yet another strong indication that Americans take their constitutional freedoms seriously and will push back against attempts to infringe upon those rights.
As the NSSF’s Mark Oliva reported, this increase in gun sales came “even as certain state governors and legislators are taking radical measures to infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to possess firearms, especially the modern sporting rifle (MSR).”
Washington state is a prime example of the reaction to draconian gun control ordinances. Citizens underwent 71,272 adjusted background checks last month, a startling increase from the 49,641 tallied in April 2022. That marks a 43.6% jump concurrent with the signing of an “assault weapons” ban by Gov. Jay Inslee (D).
Head east to Illinois, where the state had 39,954 adjusted background checks in April. That is an 11.7% increase over last year’s 35,790 for the same month.
As mentioned, Illinois is locked in an intense battle between gun control forces and gun rights advocates.
Back out west, Oregon is another state where anti-gun forces dominate the political landscape. It saw a surprising 43,574 adjusted background checks in April, surpassing by 56.1% the 27,921 total from a year ago.
Now we throw in North Carolina, whose legislature emphatically overrode Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of a measure to repeal the state’s arduous permit-to-purchase a handgun system. Now the state is in line with the FBI’s NICS system of background checks on all handgun sales.
For April 2023, North Carolina had 68,181 background checks. This compares to 18,967 last year for a 238.4% increase.
Nationwide, April 2023 came in as the 45th consecutive month with over one million background checks conducted. It also tallied the third highest total for April since recordkeeping was established.
And while these numbers are strong and signify the health of the gun industry, they go much further than just lines on a business ledger.
They distinctly illustrate the appetite Americans possess to exercise their constitutional freedoms. They demonstrate the reaction to threats against freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution for over two centuries, freedoms that may no longer be taken for granted.
And these figures prove the resolve to exercise the right to keep and bear arms. Far from being a second-class right, it is fundamental to what it means to be an American, to make the choice to defend family and freedom.
