The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed a record 2 million firearm-related background checks in October, a reliable indication that gun sales were also at an all-time high.
The FBI released figures showing that its National Instant Background Check System conducted 1,976,759 gun background checks in October, a new monthly record and the sixth consecutive month to see a record number of checks. It's also a 23 percent increase from October 2014, or 373,290 more background checks, reported the Washington Free Beacon.
In all of 2015, the FBI has conducted 17,584,346 background checks related to guns, on pace to surpass 2013's record 21,093,273 checks.
While the FBI doesn't record the actual number of gun sales, federally licensed firearm dealers are required to perform a background check on gun buyers before a gun sale, making the FBI's background check data a strong measure for total firearm sales.
However, the report does not represent a one-to-one ratio for gun sales, as multiple firearms can be bought in a single transaction and background checks are rarely required when guns are sold between private parties, as done at many gun shows, notes Quartz.
The increase in gun sales is likely due to politicians calling for new gun restrictions, according to USA Today. Following the early October shooting rampage at Oregon's Umpqua Community College, President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton pressed for increased gun control, with both suggesting they would support a mandatory gun buyback program in the U.S. similar to the one carried out in Australia.
"Whenever there is a call for gun control, sales increase. Unfortunately, this is a pattern that repeats itself," Larry Keane, general counsel for the firearm industry trade association National Shooting Sports Foundation, told USA Today.
"These things are being offered up before the person is even arrested or before (investigators) even know what happened,'' Keane said. "For people concerned about their Second Amendment rights, the concern never goes away."
"The concern that anti-gun politicians are seeking to infringe and restrict the right to keep and bear arms is very real and well-founded,'' he added.
