The number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks performed last month was the highest of any August on record, according to recent FBI statistics. In August 2016, the FBI conducted 1,853,815 checks, reporting a six-percent increase over August 2015 and marking the eighth month this year that has set a new record high for that particular month. This pattern of record-setting totals means 2016 is well on its way to becoming the year with the highest number of background checks since the FBI began keeping records in 1998.
With recent tragedies spurring calls for increasingly severe gun-control measures, and at the same time emphasizing the need for armed self-defense, it’s no mystery why people might think now is a good time to purchase a firearm. And with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton threatening to reinstate her husband’s failed “assault-weapon” ban, enact so-called “universal” background checks and repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce In Arms Act, it’ll be no wonder if this rise continues.
