June sees 11% spike in gun sales from previous year

Aaron Smith for CNN Money reports:

It’s a hot summer for the gun industry.

Background checks for gun sales spiked 11% in June compared to last year, making it the busiest June ever, according to the FBI’s background check data.

Last month the FBI conducted nearly 1.53 million background checks, which are required for all in-store purchases, but not for sales at gun shows or between individuals. That’s the highest volume of checks in June since 1999, when the FBI started keeping track.

Gun background checks have climbed annually since 2003 with the exception of just three years, one of which was 2014, indicating a clear jump in gun sales.

Michael Bazinet, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry group, said the increase is driven in part by the influx of more women and first-time gun owners into the market.

Read the full story at CNN Money.