June 2021 proved to be the second highest June for National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks ever.
FBI figures show there were 3,054,726 checks performed in June 2021, second only to the 3,931,607 performed in June 2020.
That June 2021 failed to shatter the previous June record means the consecutive streak NICS record checks ended with May 2021, the 17th consecutive month of record checks.
A total of 39.7 million NICS checks were performed in 2020 and Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting estimated nearly 23 million firearms were sold.
The discrepancy between the number of background checks and the number of guns sold is a reminder that NICS checks are not a precise measurement for the number of gun sales taking place, as the checks are conducted on the would-be purchaser, rather than the gun itself.
Moreover, some states regularly perform checks on concealed carry permit holders and those checks are lumped in with all the others, driving the number of checks up while not representing gun sales.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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