Law Shield would like our members to note that the August 2015 adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,031,959 is the second-highest August on record for the 17-year-old system, an increase of 4.3% compared to the August 2014 adjusted NICS figure of 989,337.
Note: The number of background checks run does not necessarily correspond to the number of guns sold. That could well be higher: The FBI does not record actual gun sales — as multiple firearms can be included in a transaction by a single buyer. But the numbers reflect that the gun industry is booming.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation adjusts NICS data by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.
For comparison, the unadjusted August 2015 NICS figure of 1,735,911 background checks reflects a 12.8% increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,538,347 in August 2014. The numbers follow new monthly highs for June (1.5 million) and July (1.6 million), a period which spans a series of deadly gun attacks — from Charleston to Roanoke — and proposals for additional firearm legislation.
In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns. FBI NICS and NSSF-adjusted NICS figures do not account for firearm sales using approved alternate permits such as a concealed carry license. Several states allow the use of such alternate permits to sell guns to licensees.
The news that August gun sales are up is making some media members unhappy: The more they report that “guns are bad” or that “Politician X says you shouldn’t have guns,” the more guns people buy. Go figure.
Some related headlines appear below:
Renewed calls for gun control laws spur sales
FBI: Gun Sales Surged to Record Levels in August
Nobody Is Talking About Taking Your Guns Away . . . Except for the President
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