Firearm sales reflected in National Shooting Sports Foundation adjusted background checks fell in September 2026 versus the same month a year earlier. The adjusted total stood at 1,152,077, down 2.3 percent from 1,179,424. Unadjusted FBI checks for the month totaled 1,843,700, a 0.8 percent decline from 1,858,763.

National Firearms Act item checks reached 149,614, up 129.2 percent from 65,273, and accounted for about 4.6 percent of all checks that month. Third-quarter figures overall remained higher than in the prior year.