Gun sales, using firearm background checks as a proxy, have fallen nationally over the past year. In some states, the drop has been much more dramatic than in others. While there was a decline in background checks in 40 states in the first 10 months of the year compared to the same period last year, far fewer states also reported a decline in background checks between September and October.
America is, without question, the gun capital of the world. In a typical month gun background checks top 2 million nationwide. By one estimate, the total number of guns in circulation nationwide has reached 400 million, which is over one for every person in the nation. America also has among the world’s worst gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archive, 38,062 Americans have been killed by guns in 2022. (These are 28 guns used the most to commit crimes in America.)
The first full year the FBI had gun background checks was 1999, when the figure was 9,138,123. The figure topped 10 million in 2006, and 20 million in 2013. It has risen most years since then.
In 2020, gun background checks surged to 39,695,315. The increase started in March, during the first surge in COVID-19 infections, and remained high through the end of the year. There is no definitive cause. One theory is that as the COVID-19 pandemic began, people were worried about their safety. Another is that the social unrest toward the end of that year created similar anxiety among many Americans.
In 2021, background checks dropped very slightly to 38,876,673. This year, they continued to drop and will be nearly 30 million. But the drop has not been consistent in all states. (These are the 33 senators with perfect scores from the American gun lobby.)
To determine the states where gun sales continue to fall, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. We listed all 15 states where firearm background checks declined in the first 10 months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, and where background checks declined between September and October of this year. States are ranked in order of the percentage decline in background checks between September and October. Population figures are one-year estimates from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.
Click here to see 15 states where gun sales continue to fall.
Source: JOE KLAMAR / AFP via Getty Images
15. Connecticut
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -0.1% (-20)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 16,635 (19th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 16,655 (19th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -9.3% — 19th largest decrease (-20,203)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 195,943 (22nd fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 216,146 (23rd fewest)
> 2021 population: 3,605,597 (22nd smallest)
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14. Vermont
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -0.3% (-13)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 3,819 (4th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 3,832 (4th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -6.2% — 10th smallest decrease (-2,401)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 36,582 (3rd fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 38,983 (3rd fewest)
> 2021 population: 645,570 (2nd smallest)
13. Oklahoma
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -0.6% (-153)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 27,251 (25th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 27,404 (25th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -4.4% — 4th smallest decrease (-13,457)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 292,441 (25th most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 305,898 (25th most)
> 2021 population: 3,986,639 (23rd smallest)
Source: Mario Villafuerte / Getty Images News via Getty Images
12. Louisiana
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -1.1% (-297)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 26,767 (24th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 27,064 (24th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -6.4% — 13th smallest decrease (-18,791)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 275,482 (25th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 294,273 (25th fewest)
> 2021 population: 4,624,047 (25th largest)
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11. Mississippi
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -1.8% (-379)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 21,233 (23rd fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 21,612 (23rd fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -5.4% — 7th smallest decrease (-12,514)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 221,228 (23rd fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 233,742 (24th fewest)
> 2021 population: 2,949,965 (17th smallest)
Source: mtcurado / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
10. Colorado
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -2.3% (-966)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 40,891 (20th most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 41,857 (19th most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -9.0% — 20th largest decrease (-42,829)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 435,502 (20th most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 478,331 (19th most)
> 2021 population: 5,812,069 (21st largest)
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9. Utah
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -2.5% (-2,121)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 81,921 (7th most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 84,042 (7th most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -7.8% — 19th smallest decrease (-71,841)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 844,201 (8th most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 916,042 (8th most)
> 2021 population: 3,337,975 (21st smallest)
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Source: Erich Schlegel / Getty Images News via Getty Images
8. Texas
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -2.5% (-3,480)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 134,003 (3rd most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 137,483 (3rd most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -6.3% — 12th smallest decrease (-94,925)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 1,402,074 (3rd most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 1,496,999 (3rd most)
> 2021 population: 29,527,941 (2nd largest)
Source: Barry Lewis / In Pictures via Getty Images
7. Alabama
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -3.4% (-1,866)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 53,721 (13th most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 55,587 (12th most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -16.4% — 8th largest decrease (-117,163)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 596,260 (13th most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 713,423 (12th most)
> 2021 population: 5,039,877 (24th largest)
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6. Iowa
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -3.9% (-555)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 13,761 (15th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 14,316 (17th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -12.1% — 13th largest decrease (-25,396)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 183,785 (18th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 209,181 (21st fewest)
> 2021 population: 3,193,079 (20th smallest)
Source: JannHuizenga / iStock via Getty Images
5. New Mexico
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -4.5% (-619)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 13,284 (14th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 13,903 (15th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -4.7% — 6th smallest decrease (-6,999)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 141,541 (15th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 148,540 (14th fewest)
> 2021 population: 2,115,877 (15th smallest)
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4. South Carolina
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -6.3% (-2,183)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 32,379 (25th most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 34,562 (24th most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -8.4% — 21st largest decrease (-31,137)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 339,477 (23rd most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 370,614 (22nd most)
> 2021 population: 5,190,705 (23rd largest)
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3. Nevada
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -6.9% (-755)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 10,128 (10th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 10,883 (12th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -14.0% — 9th largest decrease (-20,556)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 126,072 (13th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 146,628 (13th fewest)
> 2021 population: 3,143,991 (19th smallest)
Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
2. Indiana
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -9.2% (-7,197)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 71,455 (9th most)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 78,652 (8th most)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -36.0% — 2nd largest decrease (-528,293)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 939,899 (7th most)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 1,468,192 (4th most)
> 2021 population: 6,805,985 (17th largest)
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1. Wyoming
> Change in background checks Sep 2022-Oct 2022: -10.8% (-639)
> Firearm background checks, Oct 2022: 5,271 (5th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Sep 2022: 5,910 (6th fewest)
> Change in background checks Jan-Oct 2021 to Jan-Oct 2022: -9.4% — 18th largest decrease (-5,923)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2022: 56,991 (5th fewest)
> Firearm background checks, Jan-Oct 2021: 62,914 (6th fewest)
> 2021 population: 578,803 (the smallest)
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