Despite effects of the COVID-19 shutdown, firearm sales boomed in April with record numbers hit in the National Instant Check System.
According to the FBI, the mandatory NICS processed 2,911,128 checks in April. That's the most in April in the program's 20-year history, eclipsing the 2019 April number of 2,334,249.
The FBI released the numbers Monday.
March 2020 NICS numbers set the record with 3,740,688 checks on the heels of February's 2,802,467. Those figures were thought to have been high primarily due to the spread of coronavirus. But they had been climbing since February 2019 as the Democratic Party's hopefuls for the presidential nomination began trumpeting their gun-control measures.
The NICS numbers for April 2020 came amid mandated coronavirus shutdowns of retail stores in many states including California, New York, Michigan and others. Legal fights have ensued over the closings, with the NRA and 2nd Amendment Foundation among others filing or offering support. A judge in California ruled against the state's mandatory ammunition check and registration system, but the state won an appeal as the fight continues.
Many states declared gun stores and other stores that sell firearms and ammuntion as essential, meaning they could stay open during the coronavrus restrictions as other retail businesses were shuttered. Gun manufacturers and retailers were included on a list of essential services by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
