Please Note this first: Data: FBI; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
The catch: FBI firearmsbackground checksare an imperfect metric for gun sales— they're also carried out during applications that don't involve firearms purchases, like for a concealed carry permit — but with no other federal data for tracking sales, they're considered the best existing indicator.
America is anxious, angry and heavily armed
Firearms background checks in the U.S.hit a record high in 2020.
The big picture: This past year took our collective arsenal to new heights, with millions of Americans buying gunsfor the first time. That trend coincides with a moment of peak political and social tension.
By the numbers: According to FBI statistics, more than 39.5 million firearms background checks were processed in 2020, by far the most since the agency began keeping records in 1998.
- Nearly 4 million checks were processed in December alone — the single busiest month ever — and the total for 2020 was almost 40% higher than in 2019, which had been the previous record-holder.
- State after state after state — both those with lax firearms laws and those with tighter restrictions — reported record gun sales
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