Gun sales on rise this holiday season

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 2.2 million background checks were performed in November and the number is expected to rise in December.

The FBI said the jump in sales is partially because of low deals from gun manufacturers, but it’s also driven by the recent terror attacks we’ve seen both here at home and overseas.

Under federal law, giving a gun as a gift to another person in your own state is legal.

Gun shop owners across the U.S. have reporting an increase in interest over this Holiday season. Retailers do not conduct direct background checks on the receiver of the present in many states and trust that buyers fill out appropriate paperwork for the future owner. Rand Paul re-introduced a bill on Monday that would prevent funding for any executive order from President Obama that would enact gun control measures.

Louis Cole, a shopper at Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, Georgia, told NBC’s Today that he was there looking for a gun to give his wife.

Still gun shops in Western Mass like, Guns Inc. said they’ve seen a steady flow of customers since Black Friday.

He tells us it’s something he thought would be a good idea to get now.

“Ever since the Paris attacks, we’ve had a lot of customers coming in, ” Wallace told Gabe Gutierrez on TODAY. They point to The Well Armed Woman in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is doing a “brisk business selling accessories like holsters, concealed carry purses and bullet jewelry targeting female gun owners”.

No surprise there. As I’ve noted before, guns function in right-wing circles as a form of jewelry, albeit a kind more likely to blow body parts off than a lovely tennis bracelet might.

Matt Geiser, of Geiser Guns, Sunbury, Pa., told the Sunbury, Pa., The Daily Item that he has also seen a spike in sales intended for self-protection. “So it’s nice to see women get into the sport as well”, said Meunier.

Others see dire headlines and buy guns for self-defense, leading to an uptick in first-time purchases too.