You probably heard that March 2020 background checks for firearms purchases, as represented
by FBI NICS data, increased 80% compared to March 2019 – resulting in the highest month of NICS
firearm checks in the history of the program. This dramatic increase, based on retailer accounts, can be
attributed to social and economic uncertainty associated with COVID-19. Though we all wish COVID-19
never appeared, it must be stressed that firearm sales were already on a growth curve before the events
of February and March ever began. Explore the data in our report.