The number of firearm purchases that resulted in the FBI processing a record through its National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in July came it at 1,064,790, according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) estimate. The figure represents an increase of 4 percent when compared to the number from July 2023.
July 2024 marks the 60th consecutive month (5 years) that NSSF’s gun-purchase estimate has exceeded 1 million. It also marks the time this year that firearm sales in any month were higher than the same period in 2023.
The NSSF statistics represent only the number of firearm background checks initiated through NICS and do not reflect the actual number of firearms sold or sales dollars. They are, however, a solid barometer that reflects industry health and consumer demand.
There are several reasons that make the figure an estimate, rather than exact or even close. Twenty-four states, for example, currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder—who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit—to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate and redundant background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits, and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
In addition, in some states a NICS check is not required for private firearm transfers. In those regions, the volume of prized possessions being handed down to the next generation, or private sales between neighbors or friends, are also not reflected.
Those facts make a one-to-one correlation impossible between a firearm background check and the real number of new or used guns transferred each month. Though not a direct correlation, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data does provide an additional picture of current market conditions.
