Federal background checks fell for the third month in a row in February.
Background checks were down 14.5 percent to 2.23 million versus year-ago levels in the month. In January, checks were down 19.7 percent to 2.04 million. In December 2016, checks were down 16.4 percent to 2.77 million.
The decline is being attributed to the election of Donald Trump. Under the Obama administration, background checks continually reached record levels over concerns that restrictive gun laws would arrive. The FBI processed more than 27.5 million NICS checks in 2016.
Checks rose 14.2 percent in November and 18.0 percent in October in anticipation of a Hillary Clinton victory.
