The FBI has released the official firearms data for February, showing a total of 2,309,393 background checks done through the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICs for the month. The results confirms the recent rise and demand for gun background checks in the entire United States. Almost a hundred thousand more than what was estimated for February but slightly less than January of this year.

These statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the FBI’s NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold. Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale. There currently is no record of the total guns that have been sold in the United States. Although some lawmakers and activists have suggested laws to tackle this issue, like the one proposed in recent hearings for a country wide gun registry to go along with universal background checks.

If you are surprised by the numbers, keep in mind that not all of the applications are approved. As of Sunday, there have been a total of 20,004 rejections, or 1.3% or the background checks made, according to the FBI. In most years, spikes in background checks are seen during the holidays and shopping months of November and December. But recently it has been seen that spikes do occur right after a tragic gun related incident such as the Newtown Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, December of last year.

Many states have their own laws requiring checks for private sales, other states who currently do not have regulations on private sales are following suit. The National Rifle Association is opposed to universal background checks. The group says the current system is flawed and does not contain sufficient data on problems like mental illness. This is just one of many other concerns raised by the NRA against the current background check system in the United States today.