Gun Sales Rebound in August 2017
Kevin Felts 09.12.17
Good news everyone, gun sales rebounded in August 2017. As reported previously here on AllOutdoor, between July 2016 and July 2017, NCIS background checks were down almost 20 percent.
Between July 2017 and August 2017, NICS background checks increased an estimated 9.5 percent.
What is the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)?
The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, is all about saving lives and protecting people from harm—by not letting guns fall into the wrong hands. It also ensures the timely transfer of firearms to eligible gun buyers.
Mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 and launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998, NICS is used by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to instantly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms. Before ringing up the sale, cashiers call in a check to the FBI or to other designated agencies to ensure that each customer does not have a criminal record or isn’t otherwise ineligible to make a purchase. More than 230 million such checks have been made, leading to more than 1.3 million denials.
Using background checks to estimate gun sales is not an “exact” science, as some sales my not be completed. However, it is all we have to estimate gun sales.
How many background checks were done?
- July 2017, there were 1,742,546 background checks.
- August 2017, there were 1,925,146 background checks.
That is a difference of 182,600.
There were 71,331 more background checks in August 2017 than there were in August 2016.
- August 2016, 1,853,815.
- August 2017, 1,925,146.
If we compare August 2016 to August 2017, gun sales increased an estimated 4%.
All of the numbers can be verified through the FBI NCIS background check page.
This may be a seasonal spike in gun sales right before hunting season. Then again, maybe people are taking advantage of the wonderful buyers market?
