Firearms Background Checks Slump In July

The July 2018 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 821,260 represented a decrease of 9.5 percent compared to the July 2017 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 907,348.

For comparison, the unadjusted July 2018 FBI NICS figure, 1,806,746, reflects a 4.2 percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,733,308 in July 2017.

On an adjusted basis, background checks have now fallen for three straight months. June declined 12.2 percent, May was down 8.5 percent and April lost 4.1 percent. March checks were up 10.8 percent.