RetailBI's Q1 2026 Shooting Sports Retail Trends Report, released this week from point-of-sale data aggregated across 654 consistent dealers, found a firearms market still cycling through post-pandemic normalization — but with one breakout category: suppressor unit sales rose 53.1% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, the strongest growth of any product segment tracked, a summary published by YourNews reported Tuesday.

Overall new firearm unit sales fell 7.6% compared to the same quarter in 2025. The unit-volume decline did not produce an equal revenue drop: average transaction prices rose 5.4% across the period, limiting the total revenue decrease to 2.6%. By category, pistols led the unit slide at 9.2% fewer units sold; shotguns held roughly flat; rifles, including AR-platform configurations, came in largely unchanged year-over-year.

Suppressors' 53.1% unit surge marks the first full quarter in which ATF's e-form processing improvements were fully reflected in dealer-level point-of-sale data. The Outdoor Wire described the broader pattern as a "historic suppressor boom," noting approximately 150 new suppressor manufacturers entered the market on or about January 1, 2026 under new federal guidance. The category's outperformance is structural rather than promotional: it is driven by shorter NFA wait times, expanding state-level suppressor access, and a growing installed base of suppressor-ready host firearms — not by price cuts.

Optics were the second-strongest performer. Red-dot sights and low-power variable scopes combined for a 18.7% unit increase year-over-year, with LPVOs specifically posting 32% growth — a trend analysts attribute to broader adoption in home-defense and three-gun competition applications. Holsters and magazines tracked flat; gun cases gained 11% in units. Ammunition was the relative weak spot: unit volume fell 12.4% against the prior-year quarter, though revenue declined only 1.2% as consumers shifted toward premium loads over bulk options.

Dealer inventories at the 654 surveyed stores finished Q1 down 4.2% from Q4 2025 in firearm-related SKUs. RetailBI analysts characterized lean shelves as efficient ordering — dealers turning product quickly with low safety stock — rather than a sign of weak forward demand. Markups industry-wide averaged 22.1%, with premium product categories running at 28% and above.

The Q1 result extends a stretch of unit-sales softness since the firearms market normalized following the 2020–2021 demand surge. Revenue has tracked better than unit counts because manufacturers and distributors have largely maintained price discipline on new models. AmmoLand News separately reported that April NFA background checks reached 190,000 — a 130% year-over-year gain — suggesting the suppressor channel's momentum carried into the second quarter.

RetailBI's April 2026 monthly Firearm Sales Index is expected in mid-June. If April NFA background-check trends are a leading indicator, suppressors will again be the category to watch when that data lands.