Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

NICS Numbers Tell a Story

Monday, May 10, 2021

NICS Numbers Tell a Story

We write about NICS numbers regularly because they provide a ready-made finger on the pulse of American gun owners. As we saw last year, NICS numbers confirm what were all thinking. Politicians talking about banning commonly owned firearms? NICS numbers rise. Bureaucrats releasing prisoners as a virus rages? NICS numbers rise. Readers know the rest. Self-reliance and firearms ownership are time-honored American traditions.

We usually look at NICS numbers on a month-to-month basis. Wed say something about how the NICS office conducted 3,514,070 total checks last month. We talk about how the latest batch is the most ever for that calendar month (it was) or how it was an about 21% increase over April 2020. Wed note that there were 961,947 handgun-related checks, 549,244 long gun related checks, and 602,540 permit checks last month. Thats what weve done in past months, and we have quite a streak going. Wed try to put those massive numbers into context.

Thats an increasingly difficult task, as each month brings several million more NICS checks. Readers, and the public in general, may become conditioned to these large numbers. That, when taken in conjunction with a media framing any month-to-month decrease as symbolic of a declining gun culture, presents a problem. 

So lets look at the numbers differently. First, the necessary caveats. Not every NICS check results in a sale. Twenty-four states allow permit holders to purchase a firearm from a dealer without a NICS check (based on their permit status). Now lets look at the overall growth of NICS checks since the system came online by looking at the total number of checks run to date each month since November 1998.

 

There have been 388,665,770 total NICS checks – of all types – since the system went live. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that the total population was 331,449,281 as of April 1, 2020. The number of NICS checks conducted since November 1998 is 17% higher than the most recently reported U.S. population.

NICS checks related to long guns started off high. Handgun-related and permit checks started to narrow the gap in the spring of 2016. The line chart below really demonstrates the difference in rates well. Note the significant shift in the slope of the handgun and permit related checks; Americans exercising their right to keep and bear arms – emphasis on the bearing piece – present a clear example of bending the curve upwards. 

Long gun related checks, on the other hand, represent a nearly perfectly linear upward trend through the history of NICS. This category includes bolt action rifles, shotguns, and semi-auto rifles – including Americas rifle, the AR-15 and its variants.

Lets take a closer look at permits. Permit data, especially early permit data, is limited by both the availability of permits and the near-constant run of permit checks in some states. Some states would check as many existing permits in a year as they could. NICS later added a recheck” category which helped alleviate some of the visual imbalance between states, but we have to work with the data we have. The map below shows the rate of permits-related NICS checks per 100,000 total population per state since NICS went live.

Nearly every state moves into the yellow on the color scale, indicating a higher rate of permit-related NICS checks per capita, by 2018. This is only federal NICS data and so the states that use internal systems to process permits are not represented. 

The key takeaway, of course, is that the number of law-abiding Americans keeping and bearing arms is growing. Our community is growing, even while President Biden and Vice President Harris work to claim to the mantle of most anti-gun Administration in history. Out of touch politicians are, well, out of touch.

The American people are not out of touch. The continued high pace of NICS checks – were a third of the way through 2021 and have already conducted 40% of the total NICS checks run last year – shows that this was not a fleeting surge. Remember, firearms are durable goods. They are not typically disposable. The continued growth in the gun owning community shows that law-abiding Americans will continue to exercise their right to keep themselves and their loved ones safe and to engage in the shooting sports.

It is an American tradition.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Background Checks/NICS
TRENDING NOW
California: Governor Newsom Continues His Vendetta Against Lawful Gun Owners Signing Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

California: Governor Newsom Continues His Vendetta Against Lawful Gun Owners Signing Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

On Tuesday, September 26th, California Governor Gavin Newsom hosted a signing ceremony in Sacramento where he signed multiple anti-gun bills into law, most notably: an 11% excise tax on all firearms and ammunition; vastly expanded concealed carry ...

New York’s Ammunition Background Check System: An Expensive Wreck?

Gun Laws  

News  

Monday, September 25, 2023

New York’s Ammunition Background Check System: An Expensive Wreck?

The F-35 stealth jet isn’t the only example of expensive technology that crashed recently. The implementation of New York’s ammunition background check law – the rollout of which was, to be generous, extremely low visibility – was ...

Biden Creates New Office to Funnel Taxpayer Funds to Gun Control Advocacy

Gun Laws  

News  

Monday, September 25, 2023

Biden Creates New Office to Funnel Taxpayer Funds to Gun Control Advocacy

Professional gun control advocates have always had a seat at the table in the Biden White House. Now, however, they will not only sit at the table but determine its menu, set it, and compile ...

Massachusetts: Update on Proposed Sweeping Gun Control

Monday, July 17, 2023

Massachusetts: Update on Proposed Sweeping Gun Control

Late last month, Massachusetts politicians put forth HD 4420, “an act modernizing firearm laws.” This massive piece of legislation re-writes gun laws in the Commonwealth and imposes unprecedented gun-control.

Massachusetts: 2A Rally in Boston Commons, on September 27th

Friday, September 22, 2023

Massachusetts: 2A Rally in Boston Commons, on September 27th

Gun Owners’ Action League (GOAL) will be holding a rally against HD 4420 “an act modernizing firearm laws,” on Wednesday, September 27th.  NRA members and Second Amendment right supporters are encouraged to join the rally ...

Seeking Attention, Not Solutions in New Mexico

News  

Monday, September 25, 2023

Seeking Attention, Not Solutions in New Mexico

After several weeks of the abject failure of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) attempt to suspend constitutional rights in her state, there are a number of theories as to what, exactly, she was ...

NRA Slams Gov. Newsom's Latest Assault on Second Amendment

Gun Laws  

Second Amendment  

News  

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

NRA Slams Gov. Newsom's Latest Assault on Second Amendment

The National Rifle Association released the following statement on California Gov. Newsom's signing of gun control: "The NRA condemns the legislation enacted by Gov. Newsom. It is a blatant and egregious attack on the rights ...

Changes Coming Soon for New York State Gun Owners

News  

Monday, August 21, 2023

Changes Coming Soon for New York State Gun Owners

There are some significant changes due to take effect early next month in the Empire State.

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

News  

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Canadians on Canada’s Gun Control Measures: Expensive, Ineffective, Political Posturing

More than three years have passed since Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a ban and mandatory confiscation (“buyback”) of what he called “military grade assault weapons,” which was followed by a national handgun “freeze” ...

Colorado: Anti-Hunting Legislation Initiative 91 Scheduled for Public Comment

Hunting  

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Colorado: Anti-Hunting Legislation Initiative 91 Scheduled for Public Comment

On Friday, September 22nd, Initiative 91 was filed to appear on the ballot in the November 2024 election in a push by anti-hunting advocates trying to stop the age-old practice of hunting predators, such as ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.