FBI gun background checks in April among highest ever recorded

The FBI conducted nearly 3 million gun background checks in April, marking one of the highest monthly totals ever recorded by the agency. 

The FBI conducted 2.9 million gun background checks last month, according to figures released by the agency.

April is lower than the record 3.7 million gun background checks the FBI conducted in March but is still higher than the number of gun sales in the first two months of the year. 

The highest number of background checks were conducted in Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Florida and California, CNN reports. 

The increase in gun background checks follows a reported increase in gun sales. Americans bought two million guns in March, the second-busiest month ever for gun sales, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency declared gun sellers “critical” in March. The agency’s list is meant to help other federal agencies, states and local governments decide which industries to allow to continue business amid the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns.