U.S. Firearm Background Checks Declined for Fifth Straight Year in 2025 Featured Image Spring 2026 U.S. Firearm Background Checks Declined for Fifth Straight Year in 2025 The leading measure of gun ownership across the United States dropped for a fifth consecutive year in 2025, a sustained downturn unmatched this century. Amid an ongoing, polarizing gun debate in America, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) — the nation’s primary mechanism for vetting weapon purchases — processed 25.05 million firearm […]