THEY WON’T BE SWAYED BY FACTS, REGARDLESS: Don’t Tell Gun-Grabbers That Murder Rates Plummeted While Gun Ownership Has Surged.

The United States added tens of millions of first-time gun owners since 2020. NSSF estimates about 26.2 million Americans bought their first firearm between 2020 through the end of 2024, including an estimated 8.4 million first-time buyers in 2020 alone. NSSF-adjusted verification background checks tied to retail sales suggest Americans purchased roughly 21.1 million firearms in 2020 and about 14.6 million in 2025.

NSSF reports those adjusted checks remained above one million per month for years, totaling roughly 86 million since July 2019. At the same time, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) operations reporting shows 2020 produced 39,695,315 unadjusted NICS background checks, the highest year in the history of the system.

If “more guns equals more murders” were a dependable rule, this is the period when the trend should be unmistakable and persistent. Except it isn’t.

Only 26.2 million new gun owners? Those are rookie numbers.