September Gun Sales Rose 1.3% as the November Election Approaches

After lagging the same month 2023 numbers, adjusted NICS background check numbers — the best indicator for gun sales in America — have been higher for the last three months as the election nears. That’s not unusual. As the NSSF’s Mark Oliva tells us after last night’s display . . .

The vice presidential debate offered a substantive examination of why Americans – by the millions each month – continue to lawfully purchase firearms. Americans are concerned for their safety and the safety of their loved ones. They refused to painted with the broad brush that gun control proponents use to paint them in the same patterns as criminals. The fact is, Americans face a stark difference in the two tickets when it comes to respecting their Constitutional rights to keep and bear arms. America is demonstrating, month-after-month, that lawful gun ownership matters.

Here’s the NSSF’s press release . . .

The September 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,156,223 is an increase of 1.3 percent compared to the September 2023 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,141,847. 

For comparison, the unadjusted September 2024 FBI NICS figure of 2,072,550 reflects a 1.8% percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,035,410 in September 2023.

September 2024 marks the 62^nd month in a row that has exceeded 1 million adjusted background checks in a single month.

The third quarter 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 3,432,008 reflects an increase of 4.5 percent as compared to the third quarter 2023 figure of 3,283,571.

Please note: Twenty-four states currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms. 

It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.