from ZeroHedge:

The number of monthly background checks conducted by the FBI, a necessary step to purchase a firearm, has plummeted to its lowest level in five years. We have pointed out that the gun-buying mania, sparked by Covid chaos, peaked two years ago.
According to data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), unadjusted criminal background checks fell 11% 2.02 million in July, the lowest since October 2018. Compared with 2022 figures, NICS checks dropped 16% from 2.4 million. And from Covid highs of 4.69 million NICS checks in March 2021, July was down 57%.