The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported that its adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System figure for over-the-counter firearm sales reached 1,402,422 in October 2026, a 7.9 percent rise from 1,299,312 in October 2025. Raw FBI NICS processing totaled 2,104,063 checks that month, an 8.1 percent drop from 2,289,774 a year earlier. NSSF public affairs officer Mark Oliva said the year-over-year growth could reflect gun owners worrying that a newly elected Congress will pursue gun control in January, after some current and incoming members stated they would seek restrictive measures, and that Americans often buy firearms when Second Amendment rights appear threatened. Twenty-eight states allow qualified alternative permit holders to buy from a federal firearms licensee without a separate NICS check, so actual sales may exceed the adjusted total.