For the first time in nine years the NSSF is reporting that the NICS checks are down from the previous year for the month of July.  There has been steady growth in the industry in the past 15 years, with the NICS checks for purchases doubling in that time frame.

With 816,588 NICS checks for purchases in July 2014 works out to be 4.5% below July 2013.  Which is far greater than a statistical anomaly.  I would be interested to see if the August numbers are lower as well. Looking at the numbers for June 2014, there is a 6.3% decrease between the months.

The July 2014 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 816,588 is the third highest July on record for the 16-year-old system, even with a decrease of 4.5 percentcompared to the July 2013 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 855,259. For comparison, the unadjusted July 2014 NICS figure of 1,393,705 reflects a 9.6 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,271,571 in July 2013.

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide a more accurate picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns.

For additional information on NICS or to view a complete set of the current monthly reports, please visit the NICS website.

Questions concerning NSSF-adjusted NICS data should be directed to NSSF at 203-426-1320 or research@nssf.org. Additional research is available at nssf.org/research. NSSF members are able to access historical monthly NICS data by logging in and clicking on “NSSF Industry Research” then “Monthly updates of NICS data.”