The month of May saw yet another gun-related background check record making it the 13th month to see an all time high.
The FBI completed a record 1,870,000 checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, this May, according to an agency report. That’s almost 300,000 more checks than May of 2015, which set a record at the time.
It is also nearly a million more checks than May 2008.
May was also the first month in 2016 that did not break two million checks as the gun industry enters a seasonal lull in sales. The numbers remain on pace to set another yearly record, however.
The current yearly background check record, all-time monthly record, and all-time daily record were all set in 2015.
The number of NICS checks is considered a reliable indicator for how many gun sales have taken place in a given month because nearly all sales made through licensed dealers require one. Some states also require NICS checks on all private sales as well. However, NICS checks do not represent an exact count of gun sales.
