Florida Set Record for Gun Background Checks This Year

More Floridians then ever went through the necessary background check to buy a firearm this year. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has conducted 823,653 background checks in 2013, toppling the previous record from last year of 797,610...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

December 23, 2013

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More Floridians then ever went through the necessary background check to buy a firearm this year. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has conducted 823,653 background checks in 2013, toppling the previous record from last year of 797,610.

Though the state doesn't know if all those people then went out and completed gun purchases, the number suggest that gun sales are up in Florida.

Demand hasn't been uniform throughout the year, however.

"After Sandy Hook, it went nuts. Then it slowed down," a managing partner of a gun store in Pompano Beach told the Sun-Sentinel.

In fact, about 114,500 background checks were run in January. By June only 55,000 background checks were requested. So far in December the state has run 41,000.

Whatever the case it's another gun-related record for Florida. In 2012 the state issued its one millionth concealed carry license, becoming the first state to do so.

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