By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Gun sales declined an estimated 3.4 percent in 2024 from where they had been in the previous year, and it looks like the decline is continuing so far this year, according to a new report from Safe Home.
Safe Home is described as a home security company by the Detroit Free Press, which is reporting that gun sales in Michigan have followed the national trend. It is among the five states where gun sales have dropped dramatically.
According to the Safe Home report, the five worst states for gun sales are:
- Washington, which “saw a staggering 45.7 percent decrease in gun sales between 2023 and 2024, more than triple the decline of any other state.” The report blames passage of restrictive gun control measures, some of which are being challenged in court on constitutional grounds.
- Connecticut, where the report says gun sales dropped 13.5 percent between 2023 and 2024. Likewise, this appears to be a gun control issue related to the passage of House Bill 6667 in June 2023. This legislation closed alleged “loopholes in the state’s existing assault weapons ban.” The law also prohibits previously exempt “other” firearms, the report said, while requiring registration of pre-ban weapons.
- Michigan, where sales declined an estimated 13.3 percent between 2023 and 2024. Here, again, stricter gun control laws appear to be responsible. The state expanded so-called “universal background checks” to include private sales and adopted strict “safe storage” laws, then report said. The legislature also expanded so-called “gun free zones.”
- Maryland, which shows a decline of about 12.8 percent between 2023 and 2024. Gun controls are again at fault.
- New Mexico reported a 12.3 percent decline in gun sales last year after experiencing “a sharp rise in gun-related deaths between 2009 and 2018,” the report said. In 2023, three children were fatally shot within three months, giving anti-gun Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham an excuse to implement an emergency 30-day ban on open and concealed carry in and around Albuquerque, which was immediately challenged in court.
It should be noted that four of these states are on a list of 12 states where the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has called upon Attorney General Pamela Bondi to direct her Second Amendment Task Force’s investigative efforts, to determine whether the gun laws violate the Second Amendment.
Gun sales hit a peak in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic panic and the “Summer of Love” which saw many American cities erupt in violent, destructive protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis.
According to the report, “America’s storied relationship with firearms and the Second Amendment remains a defining part of its national identity. Each election cycle, politicians return to familiar platforms, either defending or contending the American citizen’s right to bear arms. For many people, stringent gun control laws are imperative for ensuring their safety, while for others, expanding access to firearms enhances their personal sense of security.”
Key findings of the report were listed:
- An estimated 16.1 million firearms were sold in the U.S. in 2024, a 3.4% decrease from 2023.
- In the first four months of 2025, American gun dealers and individuals sold approximately 5.2 million guns, putting the year on pace for a projected 4% drop in sales compared to 2024.
- Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, New Hampshire, and Oregon had the top five highest population-adjusted gun sales rates in 2024.
- Massachusetts had the greatest year-over-year increase in gun sales at 22.5%, followed by Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Arkansas.
- Gun sales declined most significantly between 2023 and 2024 in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Maryland, and New Mexico. Washington had a nearly 50% decline in estimated sales following major reforms in 2023.
The Second Amendment community does not consider any of these restrictive gun control laws to have been “reforms.” Gun rights advocates say the Second Amendment doesn’t need reforming.
