Getting Ready: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High in March, FBI Reports

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted more background checks in March than it has ever before, processing around 3.7 million of these requests from federally licensed firearm dealers.

Since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was put online in 1998, the FBI, which administers the database, had not performed more than 3.3 million background checks in a single month, until March. Last month marks a 13 percent increase over that previous record, which was set in December 2015.

February was the fourth-highest month for background checks, which are conducted during firearms transactions and are seen as a proxy for gun sales. March represents a 33 percent surge compared to February.

Getting Ready: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High in March, FBI Reports Gun-store

Getting Ready: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High in March, FBI Reports Gun-store

An assortment of fears stemming from the spread of the novel coronavirus are universally indicated as the driving force behind the March numbers. Concerns about social unrest, racist attacks, looting and a scarcity of resources have all been cited by industry insiders and customers.

These fears have translated into quantifiable gains for retailers. The website Ammo.com, which sells ammunition, reported that its revenue has increased 792 percent during the 39-day period ending on Tuesday when compared to the same period ending on February 22.

Certain hot-spot states are helping to account for the sudden, upward swing in background checks. In California, for example, many gun dealers have stopped answering the phones out of an inability to service the massive influx of new customers.

At Burbank Ammo & Guns, a dealer outside of Los Angeles, employees have had to stop answering online queries, and the store's phones ring on end until calls are automatically disconnected.

https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-guns-background-checks-coronavirus-1495621
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Getting Ready: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High in March, FBI Reports

Getting Ready: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High in March, FBI Reports

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Via AnCaps: Law & Enforced Unnatural Order