The September 2022 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Checks (NICS) fell 7.9 percent to 1.24 million compared to the September 2021 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1.35 million.

For comparison, the unadjusted August 2022 FBI NICS figure of 2.44 million reflected a 9.1 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2.6 million in August 2021.

The September 2022 figures were the third strongest for the month on record for the agency. The data was compiled by subtracting the NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks and checks on active CCW permit databases.

For 2022, August NICS firearms background checks were down 3.1 percent, July declined 4.5 percent, June grew 8.1 percent, May dropped 11.3 percent, April was down 19.7 percent, March fell 18.3 percent, February was off 2.5 percent, and January dropped 40.9 percent.

Photo courtesy Michigan Live