Federal background checks for over-the-counter gun sales passed a big milestone last month, chalking up four solid years of consecutive seven-digit figures.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation confirmed the 48-month streak after calculating the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System figures for July 2023.
The unadjusted FBI NICS total for last month stands at 1,987,650. Once the data is analyzed by NSSF to remove checks and rechecks processed for carry permits and other reasons, the number of checks for likely retail gun sales remains at 1,023,903, standing at the sixth highest seen in the month of July going back for the NICS program's 24-year history.
The big takeaway pointed out by NSSF is an ongoing monthly 1 million adjusted background check threshold that has held firm since July 2019.
"That’s no small achievement and is indicative of the strong and sustained appetite for law-abiding Americans to take ownership of their Second Amendment rights," Mark Oliva, NSSF's public affairs director, told Guns.com. "It also shows the resilience of the firearm and ammunition industry to meet this continued demand for high-quality firearms that today’s gun owner expects."
Oliva stressed Americans are sending a clear signal every month, as the milestone "was achieved in the midst of the continuous attacks by the Biden administration which has demonstrated nothing but contempt for the Second Amendment and has twisted the levers of government to impede the ability of law-abiding citizens to legally possess firearms of their choosing."
Last month, the White House met with selected police chiefs from across the country on how to best expand bans on "assault weapons" and other gun control measures. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration has mentioned bans on popular semi-automatic firearms at least 200 times since taking office in 2020. As recently as May, Biden pledged to "immediately" sign a "bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines" should one reach his desk.
Banner image: SIG Sauer P210 Carry. Long discontinued in production in Europe, the P210 has been made in New Hampshire for the past several years in a number of variants. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
