Background checks conducted for gun purchasers reached 27.5 million in 2016, a new record.
In the previous year, 23.1 million background checks were conducted, according to the FBI. It marks a sales peak from the period starting November 20, 1998 through December 31, 2016.
For December, 2.77 million background checks were conducted by The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, down from 3.31 million in December 2015.
The bureau uses background checks performed as an indicator of the number of guns sold each year. It does not include guns that were given as gifts or privately sold.
The surge in checks was expected given the possibility of tighter gun control regulations promoted by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. A number of terrorist incidents also increased concerns over additional regulations.
The latest update is here.
