February sees 13.6% increase in firearms sales checks over same month last year

The February 2011 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 963,746 is an increase of 13.6 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 848,036 from February 2010.

For comparison, the unadjusted February 2011 NICS figure of 1,463,138 is an increase of 18.2 percent over the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,237,617 from February 2010. The adjusted NICS data was derived by NSSF by subtracting out all NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Kentucky, Iowa and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.

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