Gun sales in the United States set a new record in 2016, according to FBI data on background checks released on Wednesday, increasing by more than 4 million from the previous year to 27,538,673.
The number of background checks conducted by the FBI is considered a reliable approximation of gun sales, although it does not include many firearms that are privately sold.
The boost in gun sales was attributed to rising fears of international terrorism, as well as a concern that if Hillary Clinton was elected president she would follow through on her campaign pledge to strengthen restrictions on the sale of weapons, The Hill reported.
However, since Donald Trump's surprise victory in the election, sales have slipped, The Washington Examiner reports.
Justin Anderson, marketing director for one of the nation's biggest gun sellers, said that while the election campaign boosted sales somewhat, "the primary driver right now is that people are realizing just how vulnerable they are. They are learning the old adage: 'When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.'"
Ironically, given President Barack Obama's attempts during his eight years in the White House to impose gun controls, overall ownership of firearms in the U.S. has more than doubled since his first year in office.
Following Trump's victory, The Wall Street Journal reported that the National Rifle Association is making a plan to go on the offense in the friendliest political environment for its causes in at least a decade.
Now that Republicans will control both the White House and Congress, the gun-rights organization is seeking to push an agenda that was stymied during Obama's two terms in office, including pressing for an appropriate nominee for the vacant spot on the Supreme Court.
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