Record Number of Firearm Background Checks Initiated in March, FBI Report Shows
Coronavirus cases are not the only thing that has been on the rise over the past month. A record-breaking number of firearm background checks were initiated in March through the National Instant Criminal Background…
Coronavirus cases are not the only thing that has been on the rise over the past month.
A record-breaking number of firearm background checks were initiated in March through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The total came in at over 3,740,000, according to the FBIreport.
The number of background checks jumped from over 2,802,000 in February. Gun sellers have been designated as critical infrastructure amid the Coronavirus Outbreak.
According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, those among critical infrastructure include, “Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges.”
The NRA reacted to the news in a tweet.
“NEWS: Declares Gun Stores Critical. As is actively fighting gun store closures, newly-updated DHS guidance echoes what the NRA is arguing in court: that firearms and ammo retailers are ‘critical infrastructure,” the NRA tweeted.
Gun sales spiked in March as Americans reportedly bought a total of two million guns, which made it the second month with the most firearm sales.
The month with the most sales was January of 2013 after Former President Barack Obama was reelected and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
President Donald Trump has been working with his coronavirus task force and other state officials to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Trump announced he would be extending the social distancing guidelines to April 30, as IJR previously reported.
Trump is also considering putting a stop to domestic flights to locations where coronavirus cases are rising. He spoke of the issue during a press briefing.
“We’re certainly looking at it, but once you do that you really are clamping down on an industry that is desperately needed,” Trump said.
The United States has become the country with the most cases across the globe. As of Thursday afternoon, the nation has reported at least 226,374 coronavirus cases.