Firearm background checks nationwide have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, suggesting a potential dip in firearm sales as well.
In May, the FBI reported 2.3 million background checks initiated through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System – a total that fell below 2.5 million for the first time since October 2019. The total ticked up to about 2.6 million in June, but was still far below the totals for the same month in 2020 (3.9 million) and 2021 (3.1 million).
Monthly background check figures rose dramatically in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, topping 3.5 million for the first time in March 2020 (3.7 million) and reaching a record 4.7 million one year later in March 2021. 2020 (39.7 million) and 2021 (38.9 million) yielded the two highest year-end totals on record, with each marking an increase of nearly 40% over the previous high in 2019.
A downward turn began last spring, with background checks steadily decreasing through the summer before ticking up in November and experiencing modest spikes last December and again in March of this year. March and December have repeatedly marked peaks in background check data in recent years.
Federal law requires background checks for firearm purchases through licensed dealers, and organizations have used background check data to aid in estimating firearm sales, which reportedly spiked during the pandemic. The FBI warns against interpreting the relationship directly, though, stating that “varying state laws and purchase scenarios” mean a direct correlation between a background check and a firearm sale can’t be made.
Despite the pronounced decrease over the last year, background checks remain high from a broader historical perspective.
Through the first half of 2022, the FBI has reported an average of over 2.6 million checks monthly, the third-highest average through the first half of any year since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s inception in 1998, trailing only 2021 (3.7 million) and 2020 (3.2 million).
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