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New polling confirms Americans are increasingly rejecting gun control calls amidst circumstances that have left them feeling exposed to danger and unsafe in their communities. Americans, by the millions, have turned those anxieties into empowerment by purchasing a firearm, exercising their Second Amendment right for protection and rejecting gun control politicians and their schemes. Two recent polls show the shift. Gallup pins American support for more gun control at a tick above 50 percent, the lowest mark since 2014. At the same time, Quinnipiac polling pegged the number even lower, showing just 45 percent support stricter gun laws – a drop of nine points since April this year. | More Information

Nearly 180 million Americans shopped during the five-day holiday shopping period from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. In total, 179.8 million unique shoppers made in-store and online purchases during the holiday weekend, exceeding NRF’s initial expectations by over 21 million. The figure compares with 186.4 million shoppers in 2020 and is in line with the average of the last four years. | More Information

As 2021 draws to a close, now is a good time to reflect on the radical changes that the sportfishing industry has witnessed over the past couple of years. 2020 brought a global pandemic, which created innumerable challenges but also unprecedented growth in the sport of recreational fishing. License sales data provided to Southwick Associates indicate that fishing participation was up more than 13% nationally in 2020 versus 2019. Additionally, Southwick Associates estimates that fishing equipment sales grew by nearly 55% overall in 2020. We know that fishing attracted millions of new participants during the pandemic, and that experienced anglers spent more time on the water than ever before. There’s also a lot of evidence that these trends have carried on well into 2021. | More Information

Nearly 2 million more people than last year are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year even as consumers have continued the trend of starting their holiday shopping earlier in the year, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Fully two-thirds (66 percent) of holiday shoppers surveyed in early November plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend this year. That amounts to an estimated 158.3 million people, up from 156.6 million last year but still below the 165.3 million in pre-pandemic 2019. | More Information

Retail sales rose in October as many consumers began holiday shopping early to avoid any shortages amid pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions that are dominating businesses and shoppers this holiday season, the National Retail Federation said. The U.S. Census Bureau said overall retail sales in October were up 1.7 percent seasonally adjusted from September and up 16.3 percent year-over-year. That compares with increases of 0.8 percent month-over-month and 14.3 percent year-over-year in September. Despite occasional month-over-month declines, sales have grown year-over-year every month since June 2020, according to Census data. | More Information