An update has been made to this article.

After a fusillade in 2020, applications for concealed carry permits in Winchester and Clarke and Frederick counties shot down last year.

Last year's numbers were similar to the annual average between 2015-19. Applications include renewals, which must be done every five years, but the majority involve new applications.

In Clarke County, there were 294 applications last year, according to Clarke Circuit Court Clerk April F. Wilkerson. That's a 43% drop from the 519 applications in 2020. Last year's amount was about 8% less than the annual average between 2015-19.

There were 1,729 applications in Frederick County last year, a 40% drop from the 2,901 in 2020, according to Frederick Circuit Court Clerk Rebecca P. Hogan. The most recent amount was 6% above the 2015-19 average.

In Winchester, there were 285 applications last year, down 40% from the 476 in 2020, according to Chief Deputy Clerk Cristie Cuthrell. Last year's amount was 9% higher than the 2015-19 average.

The high amount of local applications in 2020 mirrored a national trend. Fear of coronavirus pandemic-related shortages, crime increases and protests over unjustified police violence led to a national spike in gun sales in 2020, including many first-time gun buyers.

In 2020, a record-setting 21 million background checks were conducted by the FBI for gun sales, up 60% from 2019, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Analyzing FBI numbers, the USA Today-affiliated 24/7 Wall Street website reported there were nearly 39.7 million gun purchases, the highest annual amount recorded since the establishment of the background check system in 1998.

Complete sales numbers for 2021 were unavailable last week. However, the website estimated that were 35.7 million sales through November. Total sales may be higher. In 2020, Virginia changed its law to require background checks for private sales, but many states do not require background checks for private and online sales.

A 2017 study by the Annals of Internal Medicine estimated about 22% of annual gun sales are done without background checks.

Many buyers seek concealed carry permits. While openly carrying a gun is legal in Virginia, it is one of 29 states that require a permit to carry a concealed handgun, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The permit for new applicants in Virginia requires undergoing a criminal background check done by the state police and taking a gun safety class.

Stonewall Arms, a Winchester-based gun store, is among those providing classes. A.J. Williams, Stonewall Arms' general manager, said recently that classes, which accept up to 20 people, remained popular in 2021. He said gun sales last year were only down slightly from 2020. 

As in 2020, many customers last year were first-time gun owners, with most purchases in the first six months of the year. Williams said many bought pistols to keep in their homes due to fear of break-ins, rather than for concealed carry. He said 9 mm semi-automatic pistols remain the most popular gun the store sells.