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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…

 

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NDAA 2026: A Win for Surplus Firearms Collectors and the Second Amendment

It is indeed that time of year. Time for the 65th annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This critical federal legislation specifies the budget and policies for the United States Department of Defense for the next fiscal year. 

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In the NRA’s case, Brown v. ATF, the Department of Justice filed its opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, along with its own cross-motion, defending the National Firearms Act of 1934’s registration requirement for suppressors, short-barreled ...

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In a landmark accomplishment in furtherance of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on the Second Amendment, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the creation of a new section under its Civil Rights Division - ...

New Jersey: Senate Vote on Gun Bills Scheduled for Next Week

Friday, December 19, 2025

New Jersey: Senate Vote on Gun Bills Scheduled for Next Week

The gun-grabbing grinches of Trenton do not take a holiday break from trying to steal more rights from Garden State gun owners. As lawmakers spend December wrapping up a “lame duck” session, many gun bills ...

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

Monday, December 15, 2025

SCOTUS Denies Cert in NRA-ILA Challenge to NFA Short-Barreled Rifle Restrictions

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Thursday, December 11, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Hear Case of Virginia CCW Holder Arrested While Traveling Through Maryland

The National Rifle Association joined the Second Amendment Foundation, California Rifle & Pistol Association, Second Amendment Law Center, Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in filing ...

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Monday, December 15, 2025

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Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon ran a piece titled, “‘Assault on Our Sovereignty’: How George Soros Funds Foreign Government Lawsuits Against American Gun Makers.”

Just One More Step: Australia’s New Weapon Laws

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Monday, March 24, 2025

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Australia implemented a firearm ban and mandatory confiscation in 1996 pursuant to the National Firearms Agreement, in which nearly 700,000 privately-owned firearms were turned in to the government and destroyed. 

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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.