The December 2021 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) decreased 6.0 percent to 1.79 million from 1.91 million a year ago.
For comparison, the unadjusted December 2021 FBI NICS figure 3.08 million reflects a 21.1 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 3.9 million in December 2020.
The fourth quarter 2021 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 4.76 million reflects a decrease of 15.3 percent over the 5.6 million figure for fourth-quarter 2020. Checks were down 20.8 percent in November and 19 percent in October.
NICS firearms background checks, as adjusted by the NSSF, started turning negative since March of this year against the tough year-ago comparisons as firearms checks in 2020 were boosted by the pandemic, social unrest and the election.
Total NSSF-adjusted NICS figures for 2021 were 18.5 million, still the second-highest year on record. The 2020 annual total of 21.1 million was a 59.7 percent increase over the 2019 annual total of 13.2 million.
Photo courtesy Citizen Times
