Dec. gun sales fell from Black Friday peak

NEW YORK — After a strong Black Friday, gun sales were surprisingly lackluster in December despite the usual role of the holidays as a time when many people get guns as gifts.

While the government doesn’t keep an exact count of firearms sold, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System can be used as a reliable barometer.

According to records kept by the FBI, 2,586,138 firearm background checks were logged last month, down from 2,771,159 in December 2016 and 3,314,594 in 2015.

“December’s softness may be explained by a pull-forward of demand into November, especially given the booming Black Friday 2017,” according to a note sent by the equity research firm Cowen.

Black Friday background check numbers were up to over 203,000 this year from 185,713 last year.

That early holiday sales boost came during an otherwise slow year for firearms.

After the 2016 election, the stocks of publicly traded gun companies sank and continued on a double-digit decline through 2017.

The sluggishness in sales is due in part to a lack of fear on the part of gun enthusiasts.

Now that Republicans who typically oppose gun regulation control Congress and the White House, even rushes on gun stores (and increases in gun stocks) have slowed after mass shootings.

“There was some fearbased buying that would take place from time to time,” said James Debney, chief executive of gunmaker American Outdoor (formerly Smith & Wesson), on a conference call. “There is no fear-based buying right now.”

Instead, he said, deep discounts are now “the primary driver for a consumer who wants to acquire a firearm.”