Running for just 30 days, last month still managed to break the seven-figure mark in likely retail gun sales. 

Some 1,858,763 federal background checks were processed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System in September 2025. That was a 10.3 percent nosedive from the 2,072,550 logged in September 2024.

Don't break out the sad music just yet, as the more important figure – that of checks used for likely gun sales – was up 2 percent compared to last September. When the National Shooting Sports Foundation adjusted the numbers for last month to remove gun permit checks and rechecks, the adjusted figure stands at 1,179,424, which is up from last year's September figures of 1,156,223.

Industry experts talked to Guns.com about the importance of those numbers. 

"September’s adjusted NICS figure of over 1.1 million background checks for the sale of a firearm is encouraging and reflects a steady interest by law-abiding Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights," said Mark Oliva, public affairs officer with the NSSF.

"September is also the beginning of many hunting seasons across the nation, and the firearm industry typically sees background checks for retail firearm sales increase during these months, as hunters go afield and want to take with them the latest in firearms to harvest clean protein for their tables. It is a matter of pride to those in our industry that Americans from all walks of life trust their safety and their treasured pastimes to the products our industry provides," said Oliva.

Going beyond the NICS data set, the true number of guns sold nationwide is a higher, more elusive figure.

This is because federal background check numbers don't include private person-to-person gun sales in most states or cases where a carry permit is used as an alternative to the background check requirements of the 1994 Brady Law, which allows the transfer of a firearm over the counter by a federal firearms license holder without first performing a NICS check. Such Brady Exemptions are recognized by the ATF for 28 states. 

Further, NICS doesn't capture homemade firearms unless they were assembled on serialized frames or receivers or purposely registered by the builder with local authorities. 

Banner image: A new model Beretta 92X RDO Inox compared to a classic 92FS Inox model. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com).