Gun sales in Maine appear to have shot off the charts during 2020, but in February plummeted earthward.
Background checks of Maine gun buyers totaled 137,149 last year the most ever since the FBI began documenting them in 1998. The sales streak continued into January, when background checks for the month were 13,693.
But in February, the number dropped 34% to fewer than 9,000, the lowest monthly total since the start of the pandemic.
FBI background checks are widely used to estimate sales, though don’t account for all purchases. State and federal laws require only licensed gun dealers to submit buyer information for review.
Last July, after a spike in gun sales, Mainebiz reported that they were on track to reach a record-setting 129,000 in Maine. But the 2020 total surpassed even that, and exceeded 2019 volume by over 50%. The 2020 transactions also far surpassed the next-busiest year for Maine gun sellers, 2016, when there were 111,582 background checks.
In 2020 firearm sales have increased exponentially and buyers are a diverse population, particularly for Maine. Author: Shannon Moss (NEWS CENTER Maine) Published: 7:31 AM EST January 15, 2021 Updated: 7:34 AM EST January 15, 2021
MAINE, USA Mainers are buying guns in record numbers.
In 2020, the FBI received more than 137 thousand requests for gun background checks -compared to a little more than 90 thousand in 2019.
The numbers also show 40 percent of those customers were first-time gun buyers and women.
Mary Bunnell of Auburn is one of them. For me it s safety, it s all about safety, said Bunnell.
Bunnell is single and lives alone. I want to be able to be in a situation where I can take care of myself, protect myself.