(GunReports.com) — U.S. consumers bought 20 percent more guns in March 2012 than a year earlier, adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System figures show.
The adjusted March 2012 National Instant Criminal Background Check System figure of 1,189,152 jumped 20 percent over the NICS figure of 990,840 in March 2011, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reports.
It marks the 22nd straight month that NSSF-adjusted NICS figures have increased when compared to the same period the previous year. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns.
The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose-code permit checks used by several states such as Kentucky, Iowa and Michigan for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.
The unadjusted March 2012 NICS figure of 1,715,125 reflects a 19.3-percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,437,709 in March 2011.
