National Shooting Sport Foundation adjusted NICS figures for September 2026 stood at 1,152,077, 2.3 percent lower than the 1,179,424 recorded in September 2025. Unadjusted FBI NICS checks totaled 1,843,700, down 0.8 percent from 1,858,763 a year earlier.

NFA item checks rose to 149,614, a 129.2 percent increase from 65,273 in September 2025, and accounted for about 4.6 percent of all NICS activity that month. Both the adjusted sales indicator and the raw check count declined in September 2026.