Gun background checks set another record in June, with 3.9 million checks processed by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, The Trace reports. The previous record was set in March. June’s total was 71 percent higher than the same month last year.
Background checks do not correspond one-to-one with sales for a number of reasons: multiple guns can be sold in a single check, and many checks are conducted for purposes other than sales, such as permit applications. NICS also does not account for most private gun sales, which in some states can occur without a background check. But the tally is the best available proxy for a gauge of gun sales, which the government does not track. According to Small Arms Analytics, a consulting firm, the June background check figure translates to approximately 2.4 million gun sales. Handguns accounted for a larger share of sales than ever before, continuing several months of steady increases. The record spike in gun checks came during a tumultuous month in which state economies began to reopen, widespread protests for racial justice took place in major American cities, and national coronavirus cases surged to unprecedented levels.