Anti-gun Democrats gained control of Congress and key states in the midterms, with Kansas picking its first Democratic senator in nearly a century and Texas seeing sweeping Democratic victories. Polls and markets had forecast the outcome correctly.

NSSF reported that adjusted NICS checks in October increased by nearly eight percent, the largest such October figure since the pandemic buying period. Mark Oliva of the NSSF stated prior to the election that firearm owners were buying to defend Second Amendment rights as people voted.

New procedures letting buyers obtain suppressors and short-barreled rifles with a 4473 and background check rather than NFA paperwork accounted for some of the rise, alongside usual election-driven purchases.