Another month in 2018, another record for background checks associated with firearm purchases. The FBI reported its monthly National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) numbers, saying it conducted 2.22 million such checks in April. That number sets a record for the month of April, beating the previous high of 2.15 for the same month in 2016.
It was the second consecutive record for the month in question, as March 2018 also posted a high for all Marches since the NICS checks were started.
With one-third of the year in the books, the FBI has posted 9,354,635 NICS checks—an indicator used to estimate gun sales—2018 is on a pace to surpass the 27,538,673 checks in 2016.
"These statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS," the FBI wrote in its report. "They do not represent the number of firearms sold. Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale."
The number of NICS checks typically rises when talk about more gun control is in the news, as has been the case since the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
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