Yes, North Carolina had a surge in gun sales. But how did it compare to other states?
A global health pandemic, a nation rocked by civil unrest and a presidential election made 2020 a banner year for gun sales in the United States, with firearm purchases up 60% — many of them first-time gun owners, according to a new report.
North Carolina was no exception, with sheriff’s offices reporting spikes in permit applications and gun shops seeing record-breaking sales.
But the Tar Heel state was in the middle of the pack nationwide., according to the report by online retailer TacticalGear.com.
Four guns were sold per 100 adults in the state — the same as in California, Connecticut and Maryland, according to the report. Wyoming had the highest number, with 15 guns sold per 100 adults.
North Carolina ranked 25th in the nation with a total of 361,085 firearms sold in 2020, according to the report. That figure accounted for less than 2% of guns sold nationally.
The numbers are likely skewed, however, because they are based on the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s 2020 report.
North Carolina is one of 25 states where concealed carry permit holders are exempt from NICS checks, meaning “more missing sales figures for those states,” TacticalGear.com said.
Also, the federal data only covers background checks for long gun purchases in North Carolina. A state background check is used for handgun purchases, according to the report.
Despite the caveats, TacticalGear.com says the report isn’t “too far off from realistic firearm sales figures.”
The South and guns
The South accounted for 45% of the guns bought in the U.S. last year, with more than 9.3 million firearms sold, the report found.
Five states accounted for a third of all guns sold in the country — three of which are in the South. Texas and Florida ranked No. 1 and No. 2, followed by Virginia at No. 5.
North Carolina tied with Delaware for the lowest per-capita gun sales among the 17 states in the South.
Neighboring South Carolina, with a population half that of North Carolina, sold about 25,800 more guns in 2020. It also had double the per-capita gun sales with eight guns sold per 100 adults, according to the report.
Although many other states saw higher numbers, sheriff’s offices in North Carolina have reported a surge in permitting applications since the start of the pandemic.
Gun purchasing permits in Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, averaged about 1,130 a month in 2019, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. During the pandemic, the monthly average climbed to 4,698.
Wake County similarly recorded a 373% increase for pistol permits last year, with a total of 57,791 permits issued — more than those in 2017, 2018 and 2019 combined, according to The News & Observer.
Rockingham County, a more rural county on the Virginia border, has a population of just over 91,000. According to Sheriff Sam Page, the number of concealed carry permits surpassed 9,000 last year — meaning roughly 10% of residents are now licensed to carry a concealed handgun.
“I think it’s great,” Page said in a news release Tuesday. “I’ve said on several occasions that I’d like to see 10,000 Rockingham County residents with their Concealed Carry Permit. I believe that each individual is the first line of defense when it comes to the safety of themselves and their families.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 4:04 PM.
