Jacob Knutson
WASHINGTON DC: The FBI conducted 4,691,738 background checks for fir-earm sales this March, a si-ngle-month record for the U.S.
The surge in background checks may be a result of gun control bills recently passed by the House and gun restriction recommendations by President Biden in the wake of three mass shootings in March.
Last month, the House passed a bill that would require background checks for all gun purchasers.
Congress passed another bill aimed at closing a loophole that allows firearm dealers to complete sales after three days if a buyer’s background check has not been finished by the FBI.
Biden urged the Senate to pass the two House bills and called on Congress as a whole to renew bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
By the numbers: Of the top 10 days for most background checks in the country’s history, six were in March 2021, according to FBI data. The FBI performed 236,295 background checks on March 17 alone — the busiest day for checks in U.S. history.
A gunman killed four people, including a 9-year-old boy, in Orange, California, on March 31.
Another assailant shot and killed 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22. Eight people were killed in shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16.
