States where gun sales have increased the most since 2011

Lutsenko_Oleksandr // Shutterstock Although debates on gun control laws–which differ substantially from one state to another–are weakening as the November 2022 electoral hype fades away, gun sales continue to rise. According to the number of firearm-related background checks performed by the FBI, Black Friday 2022 was the third-highest day for gun sales ever, surpassing the amounts sold on the same dates in 2020 and 2021. (Note: The data does not directly represent a one-to-one correlation between a firearm background check and sale, as it does not include private gun purchases or instances where a carry permit is as an alternative to the background check.) In some states, gun control laws are in judicial limbo. In Oregon, voters passed Measure 114 in the November elections. The proposal aimed to end the so-called “Charleston loophole,” which allowed buyers to obtain a firearm from a dealer before the background check was complete. It also added the requirement to pass a training course before purchasing a weapon. Supporters promoted the measure as a way to prevent mass shootings, such as the one that took place in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, in which a shooter with a criminal record killed nine people. His background check was delayed, thus allowing him to purchase the .45-caliber handgun used to perpetrate the crime. As of Jan. 9, 2023, Measure 114 remains blocked in an Oregon circuit court by a lawsuit that questions its constitutionality. Meanwhile, in South Carolina, firearms do not have to be registered, and gun owners do not need permits to purchase or carry weapons. In Washington D.C., where firearm-related background checks have skyrocketed in the last decade, permits are not required to buy rifles, shotguns, or handguns. However, background checks are mandatory for all private sales, and gun buyers must register every firearm they acquire. Illinois, which has one of the most stringent gun regulations in America, leads the nation in background checks, which suggests the state’s laws are functioning as designed and, despite that fact, people’s desire to arm themselves remains unabated. With each state in the country addressing the issue of gun ownership and registration in different ways, Stacker consulted data from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to examine which states have seen the most significant increase in firearm-related background checks between 2011 and 2021. The figures taken into consideration are criminal record requests initiated by an officially licensed Federal Firearms Licensee or criminal justice/law enforcement agency before issuing a purchase or transfer permit. You may also like: Here’s how much legislation in each state restricts or protects trans youth #25. Texas KatMoy // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 202.8% — Checks in 2011: 617,597 — Checks in 2021: 1,870,113 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 1,436,646 #24. Missouri JEWEL SAMAD // Getty Images – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 204.2% — Checks in 2011: 199,086 — Checks in 2021: 605,570 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 445,110 #23. Washington DmyTo // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 207.0% — Checks in 2011: 228,935 — Checks in 2021: 702,930 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 619,603 #22. Mississippi CHANDAN KHANNA // Getty Images – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 207.5% — Checks in 2011: 96,484 — Checks in 2021: 296,694 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 222,042 #21. Oklahoma damann // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 214.2% — Checks in 2011: 121,014 — Checks in 2021: 380,249 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 295,071 You may also like: America’s ambitious bet on wildlife crossings #20. Vermont Kryuchka Yaroslav // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 218.9% — Checks in 2011: 16,016 — Checks in 2021: 51,071 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 39,959 #19. Colorado Yasemin Yurtman Candemir // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 233.3% — Checks in 2011: 187,321 — Checks in 2021: 624,251 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 474,871 #18. New Mexico Hunter Bliss Images // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 233.6% — Checks in 2011: 55,404 — Checks in 2021: 184,807 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 146,184 #17. Tennessee Lutsenko_Oleksandr // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 252.8% — Checks in 2011: 262,331 — Checks in 2021: 925,496 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 746,690 #16. Wisconsin Gagarin Iurii // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 255.4% — Checks in 2011: 216,797 — Checks in 2021: 770,432 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 565,119 You may also like: How driving is subsidized in America #15. South Carolina Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 266.1% — Checks in 2011: 126,627 — Checks in 2021: 463,562 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 354,870 #14. Illinois Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 270.1% — Checks in 2011: 694,784 — Checks in 2021: 2,571,685 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 3,998,754 #13. Georgia Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 271.0% — Checks in 2011: 209,268 — Checks in 2021: 776,297 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 501,896 #12. Oregon Dmitri T // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 285.6% — Checks in 2011: 114,368 — Checks in 2021: 440,999 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 412,741 #11. Idaho Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 298.4% — Checks in 2011: 66,621 — Checks in 2021: 265,432 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 205,491 You may also like: How cellphone use while driving has changed in America in the last 20 years #10. Rhode Island Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 307.0% — Checks in 2011: 8,582 — Checks in 2021: 34,928 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 24,810 #9. Ohio Lutsenko_Oleksandr // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 310.5% — Checks in 2011: 201,843 — Checks in 2021: 828,561 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 564,951 #8. Virginia Cass Tippit // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 312.9% — Checks in 2011: 155,912 — Checks in 2021: 643,707 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 498,195 #7. Arizona megaflopp // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 337.0% — Checks in 2011: 122,097 — Checks in 2021: 533,540 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 446,903 #6. Maryland Lutsenko_Oleksandr // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 384.8% — Checks in 2011: 54,470 — Checks in 2021: 264,077 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 278,570 You may also like: How background checks on popular dating apps and websites work #5. Alabama carroteater // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 464.3% — Checks in 2011: 159,840 — Checks in 2021: 902,047 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 617,962 #4. Delaware Dmitry Markov152 // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 485.3% — Checks in 2011: 11,355 — Checks in 2021: 66,462 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 51,286 #3. Florida YES Market Media // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 577.3% — Checks in 2011: 241,671 — Checks in 2021: 1,636,929 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 1,255,284 #2. New Jersey Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 659.9% — Checks in 2011: 29,093 — Checks in 2021: 221,071 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 152,088 #1. Washington DC BearFotos // Shutterstock – Increase in NICS firearm background checks: 62,750.0% — Checks in 2011: 20 — Checks in 2021: 12,570 – Checks so far in 2022 (as of Nov. 30): 14,491 You may also like: The most financially damaging cybercrimes in your state