Background Checks Rise 40 percent in June

Background Checks Rise 40 percent in June

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Jul 07, 2016

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 2.1 million background checks for gun purchases were made in June 2016, compared to June 2015 when 1.5 million background checks were made. An increase of about 40 percent.

The statistic shows that 2016 is on track to break last year’s record for background checks. The FBI conducted 13,829,491background checks in the first half of this year. The entire amount of background checks for 2015 amounted to 23, 141,970.

The FBI conducts a background check every time someone tries to buy a gun from a federally licensed dealer. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, does not necessarily equal the number of guns sold, as some can be denied purchase based on the background check. Others could purchase multiple firearms if they passed the background check.

Even if the FBI doesn’t have an accurate read on gun sales, they serve as an important piece of information. It is clear, based on the data, that gun sales are rising dramatically. The data also shows that mass shootings and acts of terrorism in the U.S. tend to trigger high gun sales.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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