National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks for October 2021 represented the second-most checks for any October in history.
FBI figures for NICS show 2,593,168 checks were performed in October 2021, falling just slightly behind the all-time record of 3,305,465 NICS checks in October 2020.
Breitbart News noted similar data for September 2021, which came in with the second-most NICS checks of any September in history.
There were 2,626,389 NICS checks conducted in September, second only to the 2,892,115 conducted in September 2020.
There was a similar story regarding August 2021 NICS checks. There were 2,715,223 NICS checks conducted during August 2021, which was second only to the 3,115,063 NICS checks conducted in August 2020. And July 2021 saw 2,882,676 NICS checks, which was second only to the 3,639,224 conducted in July 2020.
It is important to note that NICS checks are not a precise indicator of the number of guns sold, and that is because the background checks are performed on the buyer rather than the gun. Moreover, the buyer, after passing a background check, may purchase multiple guns at one store.
Also, some states regularly perform checks on concealed carry permit holders. These checks have nothing to do with 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 and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.