On the heels of news that South Dakota sheriff's offices issued a record number of gun permits in 2007 comes word that the number of people submitted for background checks to buy firearms dropped during the 2008 fiscal year.

It's hard to figure out why background checks diminished while some gun dealers were reporting more firearm sales, according to Bob Boland, resident agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Sioux Falls.

He did say the worsening economy might have played a part.

"I think the reality is that they don't have a lot of the disposable income to go out and (purchase guns)," Boland said.

Sheriff's offices issued 15,029 concealed weapons permits in 2007 - almost 17 percent more than the previous record.

But ATF figures showed that 46,977 people submitted for background checks to buy firearms in fiscal 2008 - down from 53,334 the previous 12 months.

The numbers only relate to background checks done by federal firearms licensees, and Boland said there could be thousands of private gun sales that would not be part of the total.

Firearms sales and loans for guns increased last year at Pawn America in Sioux Falls, according to manager Scott Giles.

He said the economy is part of the reason because collectors and others sought deals on firearms. And loans on guns might have risen in part due to the lower interest rate on gun loans as opposed to other pawned items, Giles said.

"It's very reasonable to do a short-term loan on a firearm," he said.

Giles said people who bring in a gun for a loan must submit to a background check in order to pick up the firearm.