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FLORIDA - Florida saw a 7% drop in gun sales in 2024, mirroring a nationwide decline as post-pandemic demand wanes and fewer first-time buyers enter the market.
Residents of the state reportedly acquired about 1.22 million guns last year, a drop of approximately 7& from the 1.32 million purchased in 2023, according to data from SafeHome.org based on FBI background check figures.
Florida remains the second‑highest state in gun sales after Texas, which recorded roughly 1.36 million firearms during the same period.
Nationally, Americans purchased an estimated 16.17 million guns in 2024, a decline of 3.4 percent from the previous year.
The Trace reported a similar downward trend, estimating that 15.3 million guns were sold in 2024, a sharp decrease from a pandemic‑era high of 21.8 million in 2020.
Experts suggest that the surge during 2020 and 2021 reflected fear and uncertainty related to COVID, civil unrest, and political instability.
With fewer first‑time buyers and fewer concerns about looming gun restrictions under a Republican administration, demand has tapered off.
Vanderbilt University’s Jonathan Metzl emphasized the market has diminished as gun ownership has become more widespread.
State patterns vary, with Washington experiencing some of the sharpest declines, down about 43% in December, following stricter regulations.
Meanwhile Massachusetts saw a 22.5 percent increase, likely driven by new state laws.
Industry analysts caution that without policy shifts or unexpected events, the slowdown may continue into 2025.
Indeed, SafeHome reports that first quarter background check data suggests continued cooling in firearm demand.