While gun grabbers are screaming that Americans are tired of guns and so new regulations simply must be put in place, we have numerous reports of gun stores and gun shows being swamped with customers. Something doesn’t mesh here. Are the anecdotes wrong? Are people not really buying guns?

Well, we now have some definitive answers.

According to the FBI, the number of NICS firearms checks went up by more than 300,000 over January’s total. That’s an increase of just under 100,000 checks over the same period a year earlier.

In February, the NICS performed a total of 2,333,193 background checks. In 2017, that number was just 2,234,817.

January only brought about 2,030,530. That was a decrease from the same period in 2017 when 2,043,184 NICS checks were performed.

Now, in the interest of fairness, it’s important to note that a NICS firearm check doesn’t automatically equate to a gun sale. After all, we have these “journalists” who went through everything to supposedly buy a firearm but didn’t. Let’s assume they actually did the background check. If so, they’re in that number.

However, the number of NICS checks is an accepted proxy for firearms sales. While a number of people will get a check done and never buy a firearm, there are others who buy multiple firearms on a single background check, so it tends to be viewed as something of a wash.

With that in mind, we can now delve into what these number may actually mean.

For one thing, it seems that millions of Americans aren’t as keen on killing the Second Amendment as some anti-gun crusaders may think. In fact, it’s likely that many of these are first-time gun buyers who are purchasing firearms, at least in part, due to the organized astroturf campaign that seems hellbent on destroying our rights.

What we’re not seeing is any sign that Americans are fed up with guns – at all.

That’s because, despite the anti-gun zealots’ best efforts, they’ve failed to demonize guns and gun owners sufficiently to completely dissuade people from joining our ranks. In short, guns are cool, and they’re still cool no matter what Shannon Watts tries to argue.

It seems safe to say that gun sales aren’t really going anywhere, either. After all, the data from the FBI shows a strong trend upward for firearms sales since 1999, the first full year we have data for. While there have been a couple of years here and there where fewer guns were sold, the very next year sees a higher number of NICS checks.

In other words, the future still looks bright for the firearm industry so long as they’re allowed to make products and sell them to the public. The anti-gun movement can try all they want, but it sure looks like they’re doing more harm to their cause than good.

As someone who disagrees with them, though, I’m more than willing to let them continue. After all, never interrupt your opponent when they’re making a mistake. I’ll let them continue to do so and enjoy the disconnect when they realize how spectacularly they’re failing.