The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported that its NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure for May 2026 increased 3.2 percent year-over-year, the fourth consecutive month of gains.

NSSF-adjusted NICS were 1,105,758 in May compared to the May 2025 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,071,685. The adjusted NICS data subtracts out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit recheck, which states use for CCW permit applications and ongoing checks of active CCW permit databases. NSSF began subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.

For comparison, the unadjusted May 2026 FBI NICS figure of 1,780,230 reflects a 10.9 percent decrease from the unadjusted May 2025 figure of 1,998,440. NSSF-adjusted NICS checks increased 1.6 percent year-over-year in April, 1.9 percent in March and 3.5 percent in February.

Checks declined 0.7 percent in January, 3.4 percent year-over-year in December and 4.1 percent overall in 2025.

Additional insights on the month-over-month NICS data from GunBroker, NICS Reporting & Analysis (March 2026 data), include:

  • Top 5 States for Adjusted NICS Checks: TX, FL, CA, VA, PA
  • Top 5 States for FBI NICS Handgun Checks: TX, FL, PA, CA, VA
  • Top 5 States for FBI NICS Long Gun Checks: TX, VA, PA, FL, CA

Methodology: Twenty-eight states 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 and to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without an additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include legal transfers made with qualifying permits, and the NSSF does not account for them.

The adjusted NICS data is derived by subtracting out 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. Although not directly correlated with firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions.

In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions involving the sale or transfer of new or used firearms. NSSF notes that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Given varying state laws, local market conditions, and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be established between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.

Images courtesy NSSF