NICS: Almost 1.2 Million Guns Sold in January, NFA Saw 121 Percent Jump

February 4, 2026
1:40 am

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January roared in like a lion for the firearms industry, with NICS checks revealing nearly 1.2 million guns sold— that's over a million firearms transferred into eager American hands, plus a staggering 121% surge in NFA applications. We're talking almost a quarter million Form 4s and 1s filed for those regulated treasures: suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and machine guns. This isn't just a blip; it's the opening salvo in what industry insiders are dubbing the Year of the Suppressor, fueled by years of grassroots advocacy, state-level reforms, and a cultural shift where silencers are shedding their Hollywood villain status to become the practical tools they always were—safer for hearing, deadlier for accuracy. Dig deeper, and the numbers paint a vivid picture of 2A resilience amid political headwinds. Post-election jitters? Nah, this is proactive patriotism: Americans aren't waiting for D.C. to dictate their rights. The NFA explosion—up 121% from last January's already hot pace—signals suppressors leading the charge, thanks to the Hearing Protection Act's lingering momentum and 42 states now friendly to them. Contextually, this dwarfs December's holiday spike (typically inflated by gifts), showing sustained demand. Compare it to 2020's panic-buying frenzy (2.3 million in January alone), and we're not in full apocalypse mode yet—but steady growth like this builds an unassailable fortress of ownership. Implications? ATF backlog be damned; these filings mean real-world proliferation of NFA gear, normalizing items once demonized and pressuring feds for reform like the SHORT Act. For the 2A community, this is rocket fuel: it underscores that freedom thrives on participation, not permission. Gun owners are voting with their wallets, flooding the system and creating de facto registries of compliance that could flip the script on gun control narratives. Expect ripple effects—ammo shortages, FFL overtime, and maybe even a suppressor shelf-stock frenzy. If January's any indicator, 2024 could shatter records, proving once again that the Second Amendment isn't fading; it's firing on all cylinders. Stay vigilant, keep buying, and let's make this year legendary.

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January roared in like a lion for the firearms industry, with NICS checks revealing nearly 1.2 million guns sold— that’s over a million firearms transferred into eager American hands, plus a staggering 121% surge in NFA applications. We’re talking almost a quarter million Form 4s and 1s filed for those regulated treasures: suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and machine guns. This isn’t just a blip; it’s the opening salvo in what industry insiders are dubbing the Year of the Suppressor, fueled by years of grassroots advocacy, state-level reforms, and a cultural shift where silencers are shedding their Hollywood villain status to become the practical tools they always were—safer for hearing, deadlier for accuracy.

Dig deeper, and the numbers paint a vivid picture of 2A resilience amid political headwinds. Post-election jitters? Nah, this is proactive patriotism: Americans aren’t waiting for D.C. to dictate their rights. The NFA explosion—up 121% from last January’s already hot pace—signals suppressors leading the charge, thanks to the Hearing Protection Act’s lingering momentum and 42 states now friendly to them. Contextually, this dwarfs December’s holiday spike (typically inflated by gifts), showing sustained demand. Compare it to 2020’s panic-buying frenzy (2.3 million in January alone), and we’re not in full apocalypse mode yet—but steady growth like this builds an unassailable fortress of ownership. Implications? ATF backlog be damned; these filings mean real-world proliferation of NFA gear, normalizing items once demonized and pressuring feds for reform like the SHORT Act.

For the 2A community, this is rocket fuel: it underscores that freedom thrives on participation, not permission. Gun owners are voting with their wallets, flooding the system and creating de facto registries of compliance that could flip the script on gun control narratives. Expect ripple effects—ammo shortages, FFL overtime, and maybe even a suppressor shelf-stock frenzy. If January’s any indicator, 2024 could shatter records, proving once again that the Second Amendment isn’t fading; it’s firing on all cylinders. Stay vigilant, keep buying, and let’s make this year legendary.

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