The NSSF’s data shows adjusted background checks were up slightly last month. They’re also now adding NFA Form 1 and Form 4 check data to their monthly reporting, which is interesting. As you surely knew, demand for suppressors — and, to a lesser extent, SBRs and SBSs — skyrocketed beginning in January as the $200 tax stamp fee finally went the way of Blockbuster Video.
Mark Oliva notes that . . .
Background checks for firearm sales at retail, which totaled 1,193,428 in April 2026, again showed a slight increase from the figure recorded a year ago. That shows there’s a steady and increasing appetite among Americans for exercising their Second Amendment rights. This is especially true in states where antigun lawmakers are threatening Second Amendment rights.
Connecticut, which is considering legislation to ban some of the most popular selling striker-fired handguns, saw background checks increase over 28 percent from the same month a year ago. Rhode Island, which is considering legislation to actively confiscate modern sporting rifles, saw a 54 percent increase of background checks for firearm sales there. In Virginia, where Governor Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign legislation to ban the sale of MSRs, witnessed a nearly 79 percent increase of background checks from just a year ago.
Americans choose their rights and are telling us that by the millions, they reject gun control.
Here’s the NSSF’s press release . . .
The April 2026 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,193,428 is an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the April 2025 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,174,294. For comparison, the unadjusted April 2026 FBI NICS figure of 1,933,972 reflects an 11.9 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,194,006 in April 2025.
New for 2026 – Monthly NFA checks (Form 1 and 4) to provide improved market insights:
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- The April 2026 NFA figure of 190,086 is an increase of 130.3 percent compared to the April 2025 figure of 82,519.
Additional insights on the month-over-month NICS data from GunBroker, NICS Reporting & Analysis (March 2026 data), available in the member portal under Industry Research.
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- Top-5 States for Adjusted NICS Checks: TX, FL, CA, VA, PA
- Top-5 States for FBI NICS Handgun Checks: TX, FL, PA, CA, VA
- Top-5 States for FBI NICS Long Gun Checks: TX, VA, PA, FL, CA
Please note: Twenty-eight states currently have at least one qualified alternative permit, which under the Brady Act allows the permit-holder, who has undergone a background check to obtain the permit, to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer without a separate additional background check for that transfer. The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.
The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks and permit rechecks used by states for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases. NSSF started subtracting permit rechecks in February 2016.
Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide an additional picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions for sales or transfers of new or used firearms.
It should be noted that these statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold or sales dollars. Based on varying state laws, local market conditions and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.
For additional information on NICS or to view a complete set of the current monthly reports, please visit the NICS website.