October was the first month since the pandemic started in which the NSSF’s adjusted background check numbers — i.e., the best indicator of gun sales — was less than a month prior to 2020. October 2016’s total was actually more than the 2022 number, but the streak of consecutive months of sales over one million firearms continues apace.

As the NSSF’s Mark Oliva told us . . .

Background checks continue to reflect a steady interest by law-abiding Americans to exercise their God-given Second Amendment rights. Despite the claims of some elected officials that crime is not a national concern, these figures reflect the true sentiment of America. These gun owners are choosing to protect themselves. This is the 38th consecutive month in which background checks for the purchase of a firearm at retail exceeded 1 million and it continues to put 2022 on pace as the third strongest year for background checks associated with the sale of a firearm.

Here’s the NSSF’s press release . . .

The October 2022 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,265,311 is a decrease of 11.3 percent compared to the October 2021 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,427,264. For comparison, the unadjusted October 2022 FBI NICS figure 2,475,869 reflects a 4.0 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 2,577,913 in October 2021.

Please note: Twenty-five 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.

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.

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29 COMMENTS

  1. Cool😎. Planning on perhaps a new pistol and a a shottie this month. Black Friday deal. Not a priority. Got more green-tip yesterday for any post election kerfuffle!

  4. My October contribution was purchasing another on sale stripped Aero M5 lower receiver. Priced jumped $70.00 next day. Last night I landed an on sale FN fully chrome lined AR-15 carbine barrel to complete a build for $60.00 less than my usual bargain suppliers.
    For those who may not have ever ordered a barrel…check return policy for who pays return ship, if possible request seller do a visual bore, crown inspect and package secure. Really inspect Faxon .308 Big Gunners for bore detail and cleanliness, if lands don’t pop and a patch is filthy send it back. BGs should be relatively clean out of the box.

    • I built two MSR rifles in October from spare ‘new’ parts and buying two ‘new’ lowers from someone in a personal sale. Gonna be Christmas gifts.

      I did order a Savage Impulse Elite Precision, for me, in October though.

    • I’ve been wanting to build another one. Maybe something in 300 blackout. But lately everything has been going into reloading.

  5. All I want for Christmas is the suppressor that I purchased back in March.

    Next week begins the 8th month of waiting.

    Eform4s processed in 90 days or less by the end of CY 2022?
    🤔
    Government agency grade ‘A’ BS right there.

    • You’ll keep waiting for as long as we deem it necessary. Stop whining! Who needs a suppressor to begin with?

      • ………and have to look over my shoulder every time I take it out? And question if it’s ‘safe’ to use when someone brings an unknown person to the shooting property?

        I don’t live life looking over my shoulder, or sweating the thought of ATF knocking on my door.

        I don’t agree with the NFA, but I don’t violate it.

  6. Robber With 2 Guns Disarmed By Armed Apartment Residents > https://concealednation.org/2022/11/robber-with-2-guns-disarmed-by-armed-apartment-residents/

    Police Identify Man Shot And Killed In Self-Defense Shooting At Residence > https://concealednation.org/2022/11/police-identify-man-shot-and-killed-in-self-defense-shooting-at-residence/

    This, this is why people are buying guns in such numbers. These types of things happen over 6,000 times daily nationwide and they rarely make the news.

  7. Cool, now how many stl files were downloaded from the gatalog and printed? How many 80% frames were milled out? How many people went to Lowes or Home Depot and walked out with enough parts and garden supplies to build a Luty or that battery operated shotgun from Japan?

  8. My girlfiend just bought a six gunm two hours ago. She finally got her ” I want a gun like Jess Harper.” gunm, now she’s got a sawed off double barreled shotgunm and a lever action 30-30 on her wish list.
    Wow, I think I did good, when I first met her all she had was a HiPoint( nothing wrong with a HiPoint,good gunms, it’s just to bad they’re built like a brick that throws bullets.
    If your old enough, you’ll remember when a complaint about Glock was their ” Stick of butter” design.
    As far as concealabilty is concerned I rate a tt33 5 stars. Sure it’s got a few features that are not modern(the whole damned POS really) but for concealabilty its 5star. I call it using 7.62×25 a pocket rifle.
    You could do a little better by shortening the barrel some however with the 4n whatever
    inch barrel that’s on it, Russians picked it not me, it blows a lot of unburned powder. So with getting a shorter barrel I’d want a cartridge case that didn’t have as much powder. Well there you go, .30 Luger, no thank you, under powered.
    When I go to a gunmshop my eyeballs pass all the plastic stuff and start eyeballing the wood and steel. As a matter of fact I purchased an 1873 revolver yesterday, and had a Winchester lever action I was looking at, a little high however it was in 44-40.
    All gunms dont have to be plastic, nor made on as sixth dimensional 3d printer.
    Wood and steel is real and somthing I believe great grand kids might be proud to own? Probably not , they way the schools teach or the society, they would probably be outcast. Oh well that’s even better brings both sides of my family have run just a smidgen on the wrong side of the law. Never broke no moral laws though, just laws against what you can make,what you can have, and what needs doing.
    My dad would have done been locked up in jail by now good thing hes dead, uncles too.
    Funny how it all works.
    Freedom for the liberals until no freedom for any.
    Yep, think my girlfiend needs to get her another gunm like Jess Harper.

  9. I don’t remember how many, new to me firearms, I’ve bought lately. A few. Besides me, who should care? Besides, I’m going to tell you about them anyway. Hey! The Venison pastrami recipe just popped up. It is smaller, and I was going to say it didn’t last as long. But, then it came back. Again. I like venison. I’ve killed a lot of it. I like pastrami. I’ve ate a lot of it. in NYC, in of all places. Leave me alone about it.

    • If the left was into banning pastrami they would call you a pastrami racist. The would accuse you of being a violent far right radical pastrami extremist. They would say your pastrami was ‘assault pastrami’. They would want to limit your pastrami to 10 pieces or less. They would want you to have a permit before you could have any pastrami. They would want you to be subjected to a ‘universal background check’ before you could buy home made pastrami from another person. If it was venison pastrami Biden would be saying ‘What Do You Think, Deer Are Wearing Pastrami Vests?’.

  10. Possum, some of the plastic ones shoot pretty good, without being too pricey. I like wood and steel too. Love me some 1911, but my rp45 shoots just as good, 15+1. Cost me $350. Ruger sr-9 $299 shoots great. Stoeger cougar .40s&w steel plastic grips, tack driver $299. More worried about going bang every time and accuracy than status.

  12. Great, now I’m hungry. I hazz a question. I haven’t purchased any blasters for a long time. Does having frozen my credit and such affect a background check?

  13. I know I said I wouldn’t get another this year but I did. Now to go work out my shame with some range therapy.

  14. Picked up a gunbroker purchase in October, Star Model S. This one is plain but I’d like to get one with each of the Spanish service markings. When doing the transfer I saw a G48 with an emerald slide. I had sworn I was not interested in the single stack Glocks, but one thing lead to another, I didn’t mean to put a deposit on it… Should be picking it up this week or next. While I was checking it out I noticed the G43X. I had sworn I wasn’t interested in the X pistols… If it’s still there when I pick up the 48 it will come home with me too. If not, maybe that CZ 52 will still be there. It seems like since July I haven’t done anything but work 3 jobs. Now I get to enjoy a little of it.

    Shout out to 911 Rapid Response in Annville PA, and 717 Armory in Harrisburg. I was thinking of thinking of maybe getting 717 to cerakote the Star in some cool pattern…

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