Empty shelves and cases at the 10-8 gun shop in Bloomington, IL. Photo by the Pantagraph.

Gun purchases down slightly from December all-time records.  It’s not hard to see why (above) as store shelves are empty from the Americans voting like a plague of locusts with their wallets, securing firearms to defend their homes and families in the face of possible government prohibitions on future purchases.

 

Gun background checks drop 10 percent in January

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of federal background checks for firearms sales declined in the U.S. last month, as retailers continue to run out of guns to sell during a buying spree driven by Washington’s new focus on gun control.

Background checks decreased 10 percent nationally between December and January, with large declines in the Southern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia as well as Texas, according to an Associated Press analysis of new FBI data published Tuesday.

Firearms sales surged around the country after the December shooting spree in Newton, Conn. A gunman killed 20 children and six adults at the school.

There were more than 2.78 million checks in December. That was a 12-month peak following an upward trend through last fall. The number fell to 2.48 million in January, still a higher figure than any other month last year.