FBI Completes Record Number of Gun Background Checks in March
The FBI processed a record number of background checks for gun sales in March as U.S. gun sellers enjoyed one of their best months ever due to a spike in firearm purchases driven by the uncertainty and insecurity surrounding the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities completed 3.7 million background checks last month, the highest number the FBI has ever documented and a spike of 850,000 from February, which itself was the fourth-highest month for background checks. Last month also set the record for the most background checks in a single day, with a total of 210,000 checks on March 20.
The record marks the highest level of background checks in a single month since 1998, when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System was put online. The previous record, which March topped by 13 percent, was set in December, 2015.
Gun sellers experienced their most successful month in March behind only two other months on record, after former President Barack Obama was sworn in following his reelection in 2012 and after the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Some states in particular saw a jump in gun sales and background checks, including Texas, which saw a 92 percent increase in checks from February to March; Florida, which saw a 65 percent increase; and California, which saw 72 percent more checks.
Gun buyers were observed lining up outside California stories, and some gun store owners remarked that the swaths of those looking to purchase firearms is remarkably diverse. Asian-Americans, for example, are one demographic stocking up amid fears of hate crimes due to racial stereotypes surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China.
The Trump administration marked gun stores as “essential” businesses, allowing them to continue selling weapons despite other businesses being required to close their doors.
