The May 2026 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) numbers are in. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) adjusted background check numbers show expanding firearm sales, even as the total number of background checks conducted through NICS continues to drop. In May, the drop was almost 11 percent from May 2025.
From NSSF:
The May 2026 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,105,758 is an increase of 3.2 percent compared to the May 2025 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,071,685. For comparison, the unadjusted May 2026 FBI NICS figure of 1,780,230 reflects a 10.9 percent decrease from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,998,440 in May 2025.
The 2026 adjusted background check numbers are designed to be highly correlated to actual sales numbers. They are not the same because NICS checks serve multiple purposes. The adjusted numbers exclude checks conducted specifically for firearms permits and permit renewals. They do not adjust for multiple firearms sold with a single NICS check, or for firearms sold without a separate NICS check, such as those in states where possession of a permit can substitute for a NICS check. Most private sales do not involve a NICS check.
After a slight January decline, NSSF-adjusted NICS checks rose year over year in February, March, April, and May 2026. This is four months of increases in adjusted NICS checks compared to the same four months in 2025.
The NSSF has started tracking, by month, NICS checks conducted for Form 1 and Form 4 applications to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). There have been significant increases in NFA numbers since the Trump administration removed the $200 tax on suppressors and SBRs. In April, the numbers were up 130%. In May of 2026, the numbers were up over 100%.
From the NSSF:
Top-5 States for NFA Checks in May:
- Texas – 21,377
- Virginia – 12,550
- Florida – 10,418
- Georgia – 6,352
- North Carolina – 5,921
The May 2026 NFA figure of 146,551 is an increase of 100.4 percent compared to the May 2025 figure of 73,138.
The increase in numbers shows how much the exercise of Second Amendment rights has been infringed upon in previous years. Although the tax has been removed, numerous infringements remain. People who wish to comply with the National Firearms Act (NFA) are required to submit fingerprints, photographs, and wait for approval by the ATF before making or purchasing a piece of safety equipment, such as a suppressor. They are required to go through the same procedure for short-barreled rifles or short-barreled shotguns.
Several lawsuits are in progress challenging the constitutional validity of the continued bureaucratic infringements. Some states are moving to protect suppressor owners.
Firearms sales thrive during times of uncertainty. The conflicts being waged overseas in Ukraine and the Persian Gulf are likely contributors.
Removing the $200 tax on NFA has helped. If current lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the continued infringements in the NFA succeed, there will be a boom in the sales of suppressors and SBRs. The Second Amendment is a very popular part of the Bill of Rights. The economy is doing pretty well. If peace is reached in the Middle East, prosperity is likely to follow.
Virginia Judge Blocks State Police From Enforcing Universal Background Checks
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
