FBI released March’s background check numbers to reveal “it was the biggest March in the National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) system’s history.”
According to Guns.com, the raw data shows “2,488,842 total background checks were preformed in March 2014.”
This is up 200,000 checks over March last year and 400,000 checks over the number that took place in February.
March contained 10 days that were each among the highest in NICS checks history, “and the first two weeks of the month ranked in the top 10 for highest weeks for background checks.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation points out that when the when the raw data is adjusted to show the exponential background check jump in North Carolina, March goes from being the biggest March ever to the second biggest.
The reason is that North Carolina alone was responsible for 541,978 checks out of the 2,488,842 that took place that month.
It is important to remember that background checks represent the number of gun purchasers, not guns purchased. The 2,488,842 number could mean there were that many guns sold in March. However, if every gun purchaser bought three guns the figure of guns sold would be 7,466,526.
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