NICS Numbers See Another One-Million Month

The NICS numbers are in for July, and guess what—we’re still over a million check-ups for the month! And in July of 2024, we finally saw a reversal of the year-long trend of year-over-year NICS decline.

NICS News @ TFB:

• The October All Time Record for NICS Background Checks Was just Broken
• BREAKING: ATF Updates Form 4473 'NICS Check'
• "Beat" NICS in Court? You're Still Stuck With the Bill
• Firearms Transfer Record – Here Is The Newly Revised ATF 4473 –

July’s NICS Numbers

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the adjusted formula for NICS numbers gives an estimated 1,064,790 background checks for July 2024. That’s a 1.7 percent increase over last year’s figures; in July 2023, the unadjusted FBI NICS figure was 1,987,650.

This has changed a trend since December of 2023, which saw NICS numbers decline year-over-year when compared to the numbers from the same month the year before. What’s the reason for the switch? Political turmoil is almost certainly to blame; election years are always big for gun sales in the U.S., and it’s surprising that it has taken this long for the trend to switch.

Also, note that this is the 60th straight month with more than one million NICS checks. The past half-decade has seen amazing sales figures for the U.S. market, and that’s one trend that hasn’t changed.

Why NICS Matters

The acronym NICS stands for National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This is a federal database inquiry system that is used to check up on prospective firearms buyers in many jurisdictions in the US. It is also used to check on applicants for other firearms-related paperwork, such as concealed carry permits. When NICS numbers are up, it generally indicates increased interest in legal firearms ownership. When they’re down, it supposedly indicates a decline in firearms sales.