NICS for May, 2026 Gun Sales up, Background Check Down

 

The May, 2026 National Instant background Check System (NICS) numbers are in. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) adjusted background check numbers show expanding firearm sales as the number of total background checks done through NICS continues to drop. In May, the drop was almost 11 percent from May of 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 the NICS checks are used for multiple purposes. The adjusted numbers take out the checks done specifically for firearms permits and permit renewals. They do not adjust for multiple firearms sold with one NICS check, or for firearms sold without a separate NICS check such as those in states where possession of a permit is allowed to be substituted for a NICS check. Most private sales do not involve a NICS check.

 

The NSSF Report over the last 12 months shows consistent increases in the adjusted NICS checks in 2026 since January.  This is four months of increases in the adjusted NICS checks over the same four months in 2025. The NSSF has started to track NICS checks done for Form 1 and Form 4 applications to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by month. There are very large increasin in these numbers since the $200 tax has been remove by the Trump administration. In April, the numbers were up 130%. In May of 2026, the numbers were up over 100%. From the NSSF:

• 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 in previous years. Although the tax has been removed, there are still numerous infringements. People who wish to comply with the National Firearms Act (NFA) are required to submit fingerprints, photographs, and to wait for approval by the ATF before making or purchasing a piece of safety equipment such as a suppressor / silencer / gun muffler. 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 silencer/ suppressor owners.

Analysis: Firearms sales thrive during times of uncertainty. The constant attacks on President Trump in the old media probably aid in keeping firearm sales high. 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 / silencers / gun mufflers and in the sale of short barreled shotguns and short barreled rifles. 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.

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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AL: Birmingham - Gunfight in Parking Lot, 1 Killed, 1 Wounded

Birmingham Fire and Rescue took the victims to the hospital where one was pronounced dead. Police say the second victim was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.  

Officials say the incident began when the two men were involved in an altercation between the doorway of a hotel and a parking lot before gunfire erupted. 

Police say the victim with life-threatening injuries is also one of the suspects, and that the two men shot at each other. There is no threat to the public, police say.

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Armed Samaritans Stop Attempted Kidnapping in Florida

Link to video on YouTube. 

On May 31, 2026, before 11 a.m. a woman who had obtained a domestic violence injunction, escaped kidnapping in a church parking lot. Two armed Samaritans intervened and prevented an armed man from dragging the woman away. In a news conferenced Police Chief Leo Niemczyk identified the suspect as Jose Tsu Zamora, 64, who had been in a long term prior relationship with the victim.

Zamora is a convicted felon who is reported to have said to the victim, words to the effect: If I can't have you, nobody can. The suspect is reported as knowing the victim attended the church in Port St. Lucie, and intercepted the victim as she exited a vehicle.  From cbs12.com: 

Two male bystanders, who told police they were armed, intervened and confronted Zamora. Chief Leo Niemczyk with PSLPD credited the two bystanders for saving the woman's life.

Several people are reported as seeing the attempted kidnapping. One man is seen confronting the suspect, seconds later, another runs into the scene. The video appears to show what may be a holster on the second armed Samaritan. 

Before 1987, it would have been unlikely two people in a church parking lot in Florida would have been armed and able to respond to a kidnapping by an armed man. The suspect was reported to have held a handgun against the victim's side as the kidnapping was attempted. 

In 1987, Florida passed a shall issue concealed carry permit bill, which is credited with being the start of the shall issue revolution in the United States. Another change since 1987 is the increase in church security teams. News coverage has not mentioned if the armed Samaritans were part of a church security team.

As of 2025, over 20 million concealed carry permits were active in the United States. In 29 states no permit is needed for people to carry loaded handguns, either openly or concealed, in most public spaces.

John Lott and others have published peer reviewed papers which show an increase in concealed carry permits is correlated with a drop in violent crime. Other academics dispute this finding. Papers sometime claim to show a limited increase in very specific types of crime in particular states.  Most of the literature shows either a decrease in violent crime or no measurable change. 

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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CA: San Jacinto - Gunfight in Home, Homeowner Shoots, Kills Intruder

Details:

On Friday, June 5, 2026, at 10:23 p.m., deputies from the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the 1300 block of Heron Way in San Jacinto, regarding an assault with a deadly weapon. Upon arrival, deputies located evidence of a shooting and a subject with injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. The subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.

During the investigation, deputies learned the homeowner was visiting a neighboring residence when he heard screaming and the sound of gunfire from his residence. The homeowner ran to his residence and saw an unknown male intruder inside his home, armed with a shotgun. The homeowner armed himself and confronted the suspect inside the residence. During the confrontation, the suspect fired multiple rounds at the homeowner. The homeowner returned fire, striking the suspect. There were no additional injuries reported.

The homeowner was transported to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station for further investigation. The suspect’s identity is being withheld pending notification to the next of kin. No arrests have been made at this time. The case will ultimately be submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for review. This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details will be released.

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SC: Bennettsville - Gunfight in Home, Homeowner Injured

A heated conversation between the victim and Miller escalated.

Miller and an unidentified black male co-defendant fired at the victim, and the victim returned fire, according to MCSO.

The shooting left the victim injured and caused damage to his home.

The sheriff’s office said that the homeowner reportedly overheard the suspects stating, “we need to take care of him as well”, but they had discharged all their ammunition before fleeing the location. 

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Concealed Carry Permit Holders are More Law Abiding than the General Population or Police officers

People who have concealed carry permits are one of the most law-abiding groups in the United States. Police officers have crime rates far below the general population. People with concealed carry permits are more law-abiding than police officers.

The arrest rate for the overall adult population in the USA is about 2,100 - 2,200 per 100k in recent years.  The arrest rate for police officers has been about  170 per 100k. This may be low because no one tracks police arrests officially. Officials may be reluctant to charge police officers. The conviction rate for concealed permit holders is about 17.6 per 100k in Texas, according to an academic paper by John Lott, Moody, and Wang published in 2025. From the paper:

 Of the 43,932 total convictions in the Texas DPS 2023 report, only 284 — or 0.6 percent — were convictions of LTC holders, a conviction rate of
17.6 per 100,000.37

Convictions are not the same as arrests. Arrests for felonies tends to result in about 65% convictions. Arrests for misdemeanors results in about 45% convictions. A conviction rate is likely to be about half of the arrest rate.  If we double the conviction rate to approximate the arrest rate, concealed permit holders have less than one fifth the arrest rate for police officers. Concealed carry permit holders have 1.7% of the arrest rate for the general population.

The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) sums up how law-abiding permit holders are for convictions of firearm related violations:

 Concealed handgun permit holders are extremely law-abiding. In Florida and Texas, permit holders are convicted of firearms related violations at one-twelfth of the rate at which police officers are convicted.

Minnesota tracks the number of carry permits which are revoked each year. A look at the Minnesota numbers shows revocations of permits are close to what concealed permit convictions are in Texas. The numbers and methodology may be significantly different in the two states. In 2024 the number of permit holders in Minnesota were about 400 thousand. The number of permit revocations was 47. That is a rate of revocation of 11.5 per 100k in 2024.

The crime rates of permit holders are much, much lower than that of the general population and much lower than that of police officers. In terms of other population groups, permit holders crime rates are about as law abiding as Asian Americans as a group.  Both groups show high levels of civic responsibility and respect for the rule of law.

Analysis:

Very few people believe disarming the police is a good idea. Police officers, even retired police officers have the legal right to carry in most places where most people are prevented from carrying weapons. Police officers have the legal right to carry in all states and territories of the United States. The Congress created the LEOSA act as a way to protect the public with more responsible armed people on the streets. They also created it as a way to protect police officers. The same logic applies to people with concealed carry permits. Those people are much less likely to break laws than even police officers are.

It is common sense to increase the number of such protectors by 15X. There are about 700 thousand sworn police officers.  There are about another 500 thousand retired officers. There are over 20 million Americans with concealed carry permits.

  

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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NC: Raleigh - Domestic Defense? Armed Samaritan Shoots Man who was Assalting anothe Man

Graham then continued to assault the man, police said.

“An uninvolved witness in the Summit Avenue area observed the incident and believed the male was in immediate danger. In response, the individual retrieved a handgun and shot Mr. Graham,” the news release said.

The person who shot Graham stayed at the scene and “complied with officers during the investigation,” police said.

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NV: Moss Point - Suspect Vandalizes Car, is Shot, Wounded

Police Chief Dennis Stevenson says a man reported firing his gun at another man, who was allegedly vandalizing his car. The suspect then ran off into the woods behind a nearby store and daycare.

The search took place just off Bowen Street. The daycare which police were searching near was unoccupied. Surveillance video from a nearby business showed the suspect limping with a wound to his right leg.

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CRPC Finds Murders Committed With Glock "Switches" are Very Rare

"Glock switch" images from ATF, public domain.  

Murders committed with handguns patterned after the extremely successful Glock line of pistols, equipped with "Glock switches", are extremely rare, according to research done by the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC). The research was published on May 27, 2026.

No database of cases where "Glock switches" are used to murder people is maintained by the federal government . The CPRC did what they characterize as "an exhaustive search" for incidents where such a "Glock switch" was used to murder people, from 2021 through most of May, 2026.  They found 20 incidents where 43 people were killed over the more than five years studied.

Every murder is a tragedy. However, the number of murders committed with "Glock switches" is a tiny blip in the overall number of murders in the USA, over the five years examined by the CPRC.  The CPRC carefully and correctly states they may have missed some murders committed with "Glock switches". It is the nature of crimes that some are not detected. It is the nature of the media that some events are not reported in a way which is easily found. The demonization of these devices works to insure most known events are reported.

Handguns do not make good automatic weapons. They are more difficult to master than rifles or shotguns, even  when one shot is fired for every trigger pull. The yare much more difficult to control on full auto, especially a full auto with a high cyclic rate of fire. With modifications, expert users can use them effectively, with practice. Machine pistols, as they are called, have not been a popular item with military services because of these limitations.

"Glock switches" take an excellent handgun design and transform it into a bad machine pistol. As noted by the CPRC, the "Glock switches" are dangerous to the user and to everyone near the user, including the user's allies and confederates. "Glock switches" override the handguns disconnector, allowing the handgun to fire before it is fully locked. The difficulty of controlling a handgun in full auto, with an extreme cyclic rate, makes the danger of shooting in a direction which is not desired, a real possibility. This may be a reason the "Glock switches" are not used more commonly.

CRPC notes the total number of murders committed from 2021 - 2024 are about 80,657 murders in the USA, according the the FBI. The numbers for 2025 have not been officially released. Of those from 2021-2024, we know 29 were committed with "Glock switches".  It is impossible to know if more or fewer murders would have been committed without the "Glock switches" being used. It is plausible, perhaps likely, the use of the switches prevented some murders because of the difficulty and danger of use, and the inherent lack of accuracy with such devices. If the first shot is on target, it is likely the second and following shots are not on target.  The homicide rate in the USA has been falling since 2021. The murder rate in the USA is at an historic low, probably the lowest ever recorded in the USA.

As mentioned in the CPRC article, these devices are mostly used by criminal gangs. Most of the murders appear to be during gang wars. "Glock switches" are already illegal to produce or own for nearly all people in the United States. Only licensed machine gun manufacturers, law enforcement, and the military have the ability to legally possess them.

Analysis: The focus on "Glock switches" is another attempt at creating a crises where none exists. The purpose appears to be to pass legislation to make items which are already illegal to own, double or triple illegal. The desired effect seems to be to ban or make illegal ordinary Glock pistols. Glock type pistols may be the most popular pistol in American society, perhaps in the world.

Those who wish to disarm the population have never been worried about logic, facts, or cost/benefit ratios. Most people still value logic, facts, and cost/benefit ratios. The CPRC article sheds light on a subject primarily shrouded in myth and emotion. It is likely the emotion based laws against Glock pistols will run into difficulties as they are challenged in the courts. Commonly owned firearms which are used for legal purposes are protected by the Second Amendment. Glock pistols are common. They are overwhelmingly used for legal purposes.

 

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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NV: Las Vegas - Domestic Defense Woman's Brother Shoots her Boyfriend

Police said they believe Jordan was battering his girlfriend when the woman’s brother heard the assault, went upstairs and saw his sister being beaten.

“After several attempts to get the individual to stop, he produced a firearm and he shot the victim,” Price said.

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MS: Magee - Gunfight in Magee. Homeowner Returned Fire

No injuries were reported in the shooting. According to the police chief, a homeowner returned fire after allegedly being shot at. He said one individual was taken into custody. The suspect has not been identified.

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TN: Governor Bill Lee Signs Improved Self Defense Law

 Tennessee Capitol

Governor Bill Lee has signed Tennessee Bill SB1847 into law on May 22, 2026. The bill reforms the law on restrictions of the use of deadly force, allowing some uses of deadly force to protect property in certain circumstances.

Tennessee Bill SB1847 started out as a significant expansion of the legal use of deadly force in Tennessee. The bill would have made the use of deadly force in defense of property legal for a broad swath of issues, including trespass. In the Legislative process the bill was amended to specify the use of deadly force would be legally acceptable in fewer situations. From a previous AmmoLand article:

 The new language allows residents to use deadly force to prevent “the other’s imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, or aggravated cruelty to animals; “if the resident reasonably believes the property cannot otherwise be protected and the use of lesser force would expose the resident or a third party to “a risk of death, serious bodily injury, or grave sexual abuse.”

The bill passed both houses on April 23, 2026. The bill took a month to be signed by Governor Bill Lee. Legislatures have a sequence of events which are required before a governor signs a bill into law, vetoes the bill, or in Tennessee as in some other states, allows the bill to become law without the governor's signature.  Those sequences allow the leadership of a legislature to speed up or delay the sending of the bill to the governor. The governor can choose when to sign a bill after it is received, within limits.

Tennessee's process is fairly straightforward. The bill is made ready for the signatures of the Senate Speaker and the House Speaker, to certify the bill is what the legislature passed. This can happen very quickly, if the leadership insists on it. For SB1847 it took a week until April 30. The Senate Speaker signed on the same day, April 30. The House speaker did not sign for a week, on May 7th.  Sending the bill to the Governor for signature is said to be automatic.  May 7th was a Thursday. SB1847 was sent to Governor Bill Lee on the 11th, the next Monday. The Governor has ten days, not counting Sundays, in Tennessee to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without the governor's signature. Governor Lee waited the full 10 days, not counting the intervening Sunday, and signed the bill on the May 22.

The bill is now signed and will become effective as of July 1, 2026.

Analysis: This correspondent expected SB1847 to be signed a week or two sooner than it was. The votes for passage were supermajorities. In the House, 62-24; in the Senate 23-5. In Tennessee, only simple majorities in both houses are necessary to override a veto. The amended bill is not a radical change. It gives people who are protecting themselves, others, and their property a little more legal protection than they had before. SB1847 moves Tennessee law a little closer to Texas law about the use of deadly force in protecting property.

The reasons for the delay in signing the bill have become insignificant. The bill has been signed. It will take effect on July 1, 2026.

 

  ©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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OK: Bartlesville - Armed Samaritan stops Assault with Scissors

Following interviews with witnesses and a review of evidence collected at the scene, investigators determined the shooter was not involved in the altercation that preceded the gunfire.

 

According to police, the armed individual observed a man allegedly attempting to assault another person with a pair of scissors. During the encounter, the armed bystander fired a weapon, striking the man who was allegedly carrying out the assault.

 

No arrests have been made.

 

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OK: Tulsa - Domestic Defense, 16-Year-Old Son Shoot Father who Attacked Him and His Mother

The caller said her husband, 49-year-old Aubrey Nears, attacked their 16-year-old son and then assaulted her.

The son grabbed a gun kept in the apartment and shot Nears.

Police said officers arrived and found Nears dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

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FL: Gunfight in Park, Suspect Killed, Defender Wounded

Investigators said an adult male and an adult female had met at the park when they were approached by a male they did not know.

A disagreement ensued, during which the unknown individual allegedly brandished a firearm, DBPD said.

That's when police said the male victim obtained his own firearm and demanded the individual leave the area.

The unknown male began walking away but then turned and fired multiple rounds, striking the male victim. The male victim returned fire, striking the individual, DBPD said.

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UT: Armed Samaritan Holds Suspect for Police

A Park City resident says a tense Saturday outside the Canyon Creek apartments ended with him holding a man at gunpoint, after the man ran from deputies and threatened neighbors with a pair of scissors. The resident, John Santy, identified himself as a former EMT from a family of police officers and firefighters and said he stepped in because he believed people were in danger.

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NH: Campus Carry Bill Killed by Senate Amendments

 New Hampshire Emblem

The New Hampshire Campus Carry Bill, HB1793, appears to have been killed by Senate amendments and the unwillingness of the Senate to compromise with a conference committee. As reported on AmmoLand, the bill looked to have a bright future earlier this year.

HB 1793 had two major provisions: First, it removed the special power public institutions of higher learning, mostly colleges and universities, to infringe on the exercise of Second Amendment rights in New Hampshire. Second, the Bill made clear no special permit would be required to exercise those rights on campus. The legislature had the power to do this because the institutions of higher learning were public, not private institutions.

To enforce rights protected in the bill, individuals could sue institutions and individuals for violating the rights, as can be done for other constitutional rights. The bill had significant support. It passed the New Hampshire House on the fifth of February, 2026, 188 to 165 with 11 not voting and 30 absent. It was sent to the New Hampshire Senate.  On May 14, 2026, the Senate passed the bill with a "poison pill" amendment which eliminated the two provisions above, except for university professors. The House countered by not accepting the Senate amendment, but calling for a conference committee, to work out a compromise.  On May 21, the Senate rejected the request for a conference committee, on a voice vote, effectively killing the bill.

Analysis:

Through long observation, this correspondent has learned institutions of higher learning have influence with state legislatures far beyond what would be expected from the size of their staff and student bodies. Those institutions have moved further and further to the political left in the last 50 years. The logic of HB1793 was impeccable: Allow people on institutions of higher learning to exercise rights protected by the Second Amendment which they already could exercise when they stepped across the campus boundary line. The emotional arguments against the bill did not hold up against the facts. Considerable testimony and facts were presented in the legislative debates. New Hampshire already has Constitutional Carry.

Universities and colleges have long ago become centers of power of the political left and particularly, Progressive ideology. The rights protected by the Second Amendment are intensely rejected by Progressive ideology. Hostility to the Second Amendment is part of Progressive DNA. Progressives consider limits on governmental power to be irrational and evil.  A strong lobbying campaign was conducted against HB1793. It was enough to swing the votes to kill the Bill in the Senate. This will not be the end of efforts to restore constitutional rights to students on campus in New Hampshire. It is the end for a promising bill in the New Hampshire legislature this year.  Representative Samuel Farrington is the primary sponsor of the bill. He is one of the youngest members of the New Hampshire General Assembly. He showed himself to be energetic, capable, and strategic. The bill came very close to passage.  The fight for the bill accomplished a great deal of education about campus carry in New Hampshire. AmmoLand will continue to watch and report on the situation in New Hampshire and other states.

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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TN: - Jefferson County - Gun Beats Sword, Swordman Killed

DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said a man armed with a sword was killed Thursday night and the person who shot him was released from custody. 

JCSO said dispatch received a call about the shooting on Riverfront Circle at 10:10 p.m. Deputies arrived, detained the shooter and despite life-saving measures, the victim died at the scene. 

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OK: Tulsa - Robbery Attempt Becomes Gunfight, 17-Year-Old Victim and 16-Year-Old Suspect both Wounded

Officers stated that earlier in the evening, the 16-year-old had approached the 17-year-old in the parking lot of the 89 East apartment complex, located near South 89th East Avenue and East 71st Street.

According to authorities, the 16-year-old had a gun and ordered the other teenager to hand over anything he had on him.

In response, police said the 17-year-old pulled out his own pistol, which led to the two teenagers both shooting and hitting each other as they exchanged fire.

Authorities said the two then ran away from the area, with the 17-year-old victim calling for help at the Five Below and the 16-year-old suspect receiving a ride to the house police eventually responded to.

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