Alabama sets national pace for background checks in December for shopping for handguns
By Challen Stephens | cstephens@al.com
Alabama set a state record for background checks related to handgun sales last month, an impressive feat given the record-setting shopping spree following the re-election of President Barack Obama.
The previous record set in December of 2012 saw 30,600 federal screenings related to handgun sales in Alabama.
Following a few slower years, the state topped that record by more than half last month. Alabama saw 47,605 background checks for handguns last month, ahead of today's executive actions regarding gun control.
The FBI now reports background screenings by category, such as for pistol permits, for the purchase of handguns or for the purchase of long guns.
The state record for background checks for long guns still stands from December of 2012.
Following the presidential election and the school shooting at Newtown, Conn., with lines winding out the doors of some gun shops, Alabama saw 42,000 checks for long guns in December of 2012.
The state saw about 34,000 checks for long guns last month, second highest on record.
But not only was last month a record for handguns within the state, Alabama also appeared to set the pace for the nation.
Alabama saw more federal checks for handguns per capita than any other state. That's just under 10 checks last month for every 1,000 Alabamians.
However, laws vary by state.
So while Alabama did see the highest per capita rate last month, clearly outpacing neighbors with similar laws such as Tennessee and Florida, it is not possible to use the federal data to make a full national comparison.
Some states, such as Iowa and Nebraska, allow state-issued permits to be used in place of federal background checks for the purchase of handguns.
It is possible to contrast Alabama with some northern counterparts, which do require licensed gun dealers run federal checks for gun sales. For example, New Jersey reported just 4,304 background checks total for handgun purchases in December. Massachusetts saw fewer than 10,000 checks for handguns. New York saw 15,000.
Meanwhile, Alabama gun sellers were requesting more than 1,500 checks for handguns each day last month.
While the FBI checks are not a perfect match for sales, as unlicensed sellers are not required to run background checks and a check does not necessarily indicate a sale, the federal data offers the best gauge of interest in gun ownership within Alabama.
Last month Alabama saw another 31,000 checks related to pistol permits and a combined 10,000 checks for purchase of multiple guns at once, for redemption of pawned weapons or other activity.