Are Firearms Sales Slowing Down In Montana?

Montanans love their guns—FACT. Year after year, Montana ranks as the top gun-owning state, with over 66% of residents owning firearms. Not exactly shocking when you consider how many folks here hunt. Then you’ve got the gun enthusiasts, those who buy for protection, and the ones who just want to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Safe to say, firearms are a way of life out here.

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What States Have The Highest Gun Population-adjusted Gun Sale Rates In 2023?

#1 MONTANA - 1586 (Guns sold per 10k residents aged 21+)
#2 WYOMING - 1523
#3 ALASKA - 1514

The Firearms BOOM Has Ended...

Recently, gun sales have been tapering off due to two major factors: politics and the end of the pandemic. Five years ago, during COVID-19, gun sales skyrocketed in the United States.

Here’s some perspective... According to The Trace, using ATF data, an average of 13 million guns were produced yearly from 2015-2019. In 2020, as the pandemic hit, that number jumped to 17 million. By 2021, a record-breaking 23.4 million firearms hit the market.

With all the uncertainty in the country, it’s no surprise Americans rushed to buy firearms. But after that massive surge in panic purchases, a slowdown was inevitable. Now that things have leveled out, the firearms boom has cooled, with 2023 sales dropping just below 15 million.

Politics also play a role—gun sales typically spike under Democratic leadership. With Trump’s re-election, fewer Americans feel the urgency to buy.

Still, even with the recent dip, gun sales remain well above pre-pandemic levels for the most part, and Montana still ranks #1 in gun ownership.

Credit: WorldPopulation , TheTrace