Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Florida Alert! Florida Sets All-Time Record for Gun Purchase Background Checks

Monday, April 13, 2020

DATE:   April 13, 2020 
TO:       USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM:   Marion P. Hammer
  USF Executive Director
 

NRA Past President

 

Safety.  Personal safety and safety of family are the reasons for gun purchases of many first-time gun buyers. And, as we are beginning to see, many first-time gun buyers are angry with the gun restrictions they once supported.  Laws that prevent law-abiding people from being able to make purchases without restriction are being called "harassment," "unreasonable," "excessive," and "damned ridiculous." 

The State of Florida logged an all-time high number of gun purchase background checks during March, 2020. One must hope these first-time gun buyers are wise enough to see the error of their previous support for gun control laws they didn't understand.    

Background checks for gun sales reach all-time high in Florida during coronavirus pandemic 

By Merris Badcock, Erik Altmann
WPTV 5 NBC
April 10, 2020 | 5:52 pm 

https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/background-checks-for-gun-sales-reach-all-time-high-in-florida-during-coronavirus-pandemic

 
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As news of a worldwide coronavirus pandemic broke, many rushed to buy toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and guns.

"We had two to three weeks of an Armageddon-type of set up," said Alex Shkop, owner of Guns & Range Training Center in West Palm Beach.

For weeks, long lines could be seen outside gun stores in West Palm Beach with armed guards or law enforcement standing by to help with crowd control.

Numerous gun shop owners told WPTV Contact 5 on background that many purchasers were first-time gun owners.

"We had people that were basically openly admitting that they have never owned a gun, they have never used a gun," said Shkop. "They were purchasing firearms and they were asking questions like how to use them and how to take care of them. A lot of first-time buyer questions."

Contact 5 asked for records from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and found March 2020 was the highest month on record when it comes to background checks for gun purchases. FDLE keeps data as far back as January 2004…

 

TRENDING NOW
FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

FBI Releases Final Crime Report for 2025 to the Dismay of Firearm Prohibitionists

There has been a certain amount of anticipation while the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) analyzed the available crime data for last year. The speculation among many was that the report would be, not just ...

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

Questions and Answers About the Texas NFA Case

On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act (NFA) filed by multiple plaintiffs in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. These included, ...

SCOTUS Statutory Ruling Not the Final Word on Biden-Era “Frame or Receiver” Rule

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

SCOTUS Statutory Ruling Not the Final Word on Biden-Era “Frame or Receiver” Rule

For years, NRA-ILA has closely followed and reported on the legal and regulatory saga surrounding the Biden-Harris administration’s so-called “Frame or Receiver” rule. 

DOJ Relaunches Federal Firearms Rights Restoration with New Final Rule

News  

Monday, August 24, 2026

DOJ Relaunches Federal Firearms Rights Restoration with New Final Rule

On August 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a final rule in the Federal Register that establishes application standards for those seeking relief from federal firearm disabilities under the Gun Control Act of ...

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass the Legislature, Now Heading to the Governor's Desk

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

California: Anti-Gun Bills Pass the Legislature, Now Heading to the Governor's Desk

This week, three anti-gun bills received final passage from the legislature and will now be transmitted to the Governor's desk for his consideration. The most egregious among these measures is Senate Bill 948, which imposes ...

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Federal Court Strikes Down NFA Registration Requirements for Suppressors, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns in NRA Case

In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas today held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for ...

ATF Director Corrects Gun Control Advocates on Regulatory Reform

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

ATF Director Corrects Gun Control Advocates on Regulatory Reform

In a stark departure from the last administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking gun control advocates to task for their sensationalist rhetoric and questionable legal claims. 

What Does the Texas NFA Decision Mean for You?

News  

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

What Does the Texas NFA Decision Mean for You?

On August 5, 2026, Judge Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas held that the National Firearms Act’s registration and approval requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns ...

NRA Files Another Lawsuit Challenging the National Firearms Act

Thursday, October 9, 2025

NRA Files Another Lawsuit Challenging the National Firearms Act

Today, the National Rifle Association—along with the American Suppressor Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, and Second Amendment Foundation—announced the filing of another lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).

DOJ’s Post Office Directive Marks Another Second Amendment Milestone

News  

Monday, August 17, 2026

DOJ’s Post Office Directive Marks Another Second Amendment Milestone

For decades, federal law and United States Postal Service regulations turned one of the most ordinary stops in American life, your local post office, into a federal “gun free zone.”  That changed on August 12 with ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.