The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported the June 2023 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure at 1,110,696 background checks, a decrease of 19.6 percent compared to the June 2022 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,382,287. For comparison, the unadjusted June 2023 FBI NICS figure of 2,152,187 reflects a 14.8 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,527,308 in June 2022.
June marks the 47th month in a row that exceeded one million adjusted background checks in a single month.
The second quarter 2023 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 3,654,134 reflects a decrease of 6.7 percent as compared to the second quarter 2022 figure of 3,916,986.
Twenty-four states 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 the NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
The adjusted NICS data comes by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks and checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.
Though not directly correlated to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provides an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS checks transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms.
These statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS and 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.
