The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported that the January 2024 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,197,294 decreased 5.6 percent compared to the January 2023 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,268,236.
For comparison, the unadjusted January 2024 FBI NICS figure of 2,180,262 reflects a 16.6 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,612,736 in January 2023.
January 2024 marks the 54th month in a row that exceeded one million adjusted background checks in a single month.
The NSSF adjustment is in response to 24 states that 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 were derived by subtracting 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.
The statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They 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.
Chart courtesy NSSF
