FBI Registers Record Background Checks In February

posted on March 3, 2016

Gun sales in America continue to boom, with FBI data released this week showing that February was the third-biggest month ever for gun background checks under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). In total, 2.6 million checks were recorded, falling short of the 3.3 million all-time record set last December.

December 2012 ranks as the second-biggest month, at 2.8 million. Typically, background checks rise after high-profile shootings that garner lots of media coverage, prompting concerns over safety as well as possible new, restrictive gun-control proposals.

The FBI conducts background checks using NICS each time a gun is purchased from a federally licensed dealer. The FBI started tracking in 1998, and last year set a new record for highest number of checks conducted in a single year.

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