Gun sales soar as Americans mass-buy firearms after Obama calls for buying restrictions

According to latest FBI data, more guns were sold in December than almost any other month in the past 20 years

Americans have been flocking to gun shops fearing restrictions (CENGIZ YAR, JR./AFP/Getty Images)

Americans have been mass-buying guns after US President Barack Obama called for more gun restrictions, FBI data has shown.

The data, released on Monday, also showed 2015 to be a record year for background checks on guns, with 23,141,970 checks conducted.

The previous record was in 2013, when over 21 million background checks were carried out.

According to an analysis of the data by the New York Times, 2.4 million guns were sold in December 2015, more than almost any other month in the past 20 years.

The surge, particularly in the sales of handguns, followed Mr Obama’s call for buying restrictions after 14 people were killed during a terror attack in San Bernardino, California.

CNN Money reports Americans are buying more guns out of fear of stricter gun regulations, even more so than after mass shootings and terrorist attacks.

The previous record for gun sales was held in December 2012, when Mr Obama called for new buying restrictions after the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. 1.9 million guns were sold that month.

Ironically, Mr Obama has been dubbed the “best salesman for firearms” by Brian W. Ruttenbur, an analyst with financial services firm BB&T Capital Markets last month.

Erich Pratt of gun rights association Gun Owners of America told the Washington Times that whenever Mr Obama speaks of gun restrictions, “people run to gun stores”.

He said there was also a spike in the number of people wanting to carry firearms on their person, which according to him is “directly because of the [Islamic State] threat”.

Since 1998, the FBI has conducted more 225 million background checks on potential gun owners, with just close to 1.3 million denials, usually pertaining to a person’s criminal record.