Gun Checks In May Third-Highest On Record, June Checks Expected To Spike

May 2020 Gun Sales FBI background checks last month soared to more than 3 million, the third-largest amount of checks ever conducted on the Bureau’s NIC system in a single month since its founding more than 22 years ago. The month of May continued the upward trend of increasing firearm purchases in the country, with the FBI already reporting more than 15 million background checks conducted this year.

If the trend continues, 2020 could very well overtake the record 28 million checks conducted by the FBI last year. The majority of the checks conducted are for legal firearm purchases, which means that the FBI’s data is mostly used to gauge the estimated amount of guns purchased in the United States. It has to be noted that the numbers do not necessarily translate to the exact amount of guns sold.

According to official FBI data, May clocked a total of 3,091,455 background checks, the highest of any May month on record. Last month had the second-largest amount of background checks this year, just below the 3,740,688 background checks conducted in March.

Protesters with long guns shelter from the heavy rain during a protest against Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s extended stay-at-home orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Capitol building in Lansing, Michigan, U.S. May 14, 2020. REUTERS/Seth Herald

A report from Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting revealed that last month saw an 80 percent increase in gun sales when compared to the same month last year. Among the guns that were sold during the month, the report revealed a 94 percent surge in handgun purchases.

The surge in firearm sales came before the rioting and looting across the nation due to the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. Analysts point out that the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn had mostly been the main driver for the surge in sales last month. Given the current situation, the number of background checks for the month of June is expected to skyrocket as more Americans arm themselves to protect their businesses and properties.

Industry experts have pointed out that the continued unrest gripping the nation is driving up gun sales. Sales of high-powered rifles, magazines, and ammunition are reportedly already hitting unprecedented levels. Some stores have reportedly even run out of stock and ammunition in a number of states is starting to run out.