August was the 61st month in a row the FBI processed more than one million names through its National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for the purchase or transfer of a firearm, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimate. The total number last month was roughly 1,210,995, an increase of 8.3 percent when compared to the figure for the same 31-day period in 2023, which came in at 1,117,821.
July also showed a year-over-year increase of 4 percent. Each month prior to that in 2024, however, reflected a decline when compared to 2023 numbers. The back-to-back improvements are a welcome development for the industry and partially driven by the contentious presidential election on the horizon.
The figures are only an estimate of the number of firearm purchases conducted last month, although they are considered a relatively reliable barometer of industry health. There are several reasons a precise number cannot be determined.
Twenty-four states have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has already undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without undergoing the additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits. NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
More than 21 million Americans have a valid carry permit, and many of them reside in states that accept it as an alternative. That renders the above figure below the actual number of firearm purchased.
The above adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for carry permit application checks as well as checks on active permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.
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