FBI background checks for gun purchases hit new record in June

The FBI conducted more than 3.9 million background checks in June.

(CNN) - More and more Americans seem to be arming themselves after a month of continuing fears of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and images of some protesters causing damage after intervening in peaceful protests demanding racial justice.

The FBI conducted more than 3.9 million background checks associated with the sale, transfer, or authorization of firearms in June, making it the record-setting month for background checks since the office began generating statistics in 1998. , according to new data released Wednesday by the agency.

In comparison, the bureau had performed 2.3 million controls in June 2019. The published figures for June also surpass the previous record set in March 2020, when the office performed 3.7 million controls.

The states with the highest number of background checks were Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Florida and California.

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Under U.S. law, federally licensed gun sellers are required to perform checks on each buyer, whether the purchase is made at a store or at a gun display. A buyer presents their identification to the seller, fills out a form from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives - recording age, address, race, and any criminal history - and then the seller sends the information to the FBI. so that it is verified in the databases and it is guaranteed that the criminal record does not prevent the purchase.

As CNN previously reported, the recent increase in firearm background checks since the beginning of the year largely coincides with the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide and various orders for confinement issued by municipal, state and federal governments.

In June, the country also witnessed riots after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, in which individuals set fire to police facilities, destroyed buildings, and looted commercial establishments.

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While the overwhelming number of protests calling for racial justice after Floyd's death were peaceful, the damage caused by protesters prompted government officials across the country to opt for a show of police force, and in some cases , they will call members of the National Guard to patrol American streets.

It is not uncommon for the FBI to have a high number of background checks on firearms after national incidents. In 2012, federal police observed a 39% increase in background checks for firearm transfers during the month of the fatal shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, compared to the previous month. Similarly, the FBI recorded a 48% increase in background checks in the month of the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, compared to the previous month.

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Following March's record numbers, an official with the National Rifle Association (NRA) - one of the country's largest gun rights organizations - said concerns about personal safety during The coronavirus pandemic is likely a key factor in increasing FBI background checks.

"Firearm sales increase in uncertain times because Americans know that their safety is ultimately in their own hands," NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said in a statement to CNN.

Those who call for more arms control disagree.

"Understandably, many Americans are scared and looking for safety at the time of the covid-19 pandemic," Kris Brown, president of the Brady Gun Violence Prevention Organization, told CNN. "However, we know that the rhetoric put forth by the NRA and the gun industry that buying a gun is a safe way to ensure safety is false and leads to tragic results every day," he added.

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