The number of firearm background checks conduction in the month of September this year has significantly increased when compared to the same month last year. New data released by the Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check Systems (NICS) revealed an increase of over 10 percent year-on-year.

Unadjusted numbers for the month of September reached 2,189,028, a 15.5 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS checks of 1,895,841 during the same month last year.

Adjusted figures reported by the gun industry trade organization the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reveals a total of 1,011,636 firearm checks last month, a 10 percent increase when compared to the 919,979 checks in September 2018.

The NSSF’s figures take into account permit rechecks and NICS purpose code permit checks used by states for CCW permit applications and checks on their active CCW permit databases. The NSSF originally started to report their adjusted figures in 2016.

The 10 percent gain continues the trend reported in August, which saw a 15.2 percent gain in adjusted figures. This year’s September checks is the third-highest for the particular month over the last two decades, nearly beating the figures reported in 2016 and 2017.

Last month’s figures also marked the fifth-straight month of increased background checks when compared to last year’s reports. Comparing quarters, this year’s third-quarter adjusted NICS figures of 2,995,750 is a 9.1 percent year-on-year increase.

It has to be noted that the numbers reported by the FBI’s NICS do not represent actual sales. The report does not include private gun sales in several states nor does it include the application of concealed carry permits, which are often used as alternatives to actual NICS checks. Over 24 states currently accept concealed carry permits as alternatives to actual checks. Some buyers who undergo background checks also purchase multiple firearms.