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Record for firearm background checks in Pa. shattered. Again.

“Anytime people think that the laws and regulations around firearms might change they want to get their firearms purchased before those changes happen.”

  • Julia Agos/WITF
A store employee of Staudts Gun Shop in Harrisburg helps a customer on Jan. 13, 2021.

 Kurt Green, used with permission / Staudts Gun Shop

A store employee of Staudts Gun Shop in Harrisburg helps a customer on Jan. 13, 2021.

(Harrisburg) – State Police completed a record 420,581 Pennsylvania Instant Background Checks, or PICS, between October and December of last year.

That broke the previous record set in the third quarter of 2020, when 406,151 PICS checks conducted.

Gun dealers have said they have had trouble keeping up with demand, noting shortages on inventory and ammunition.

Last month, Kurt Green, who manages Staudt’s Gun Shop in Harrisburg, told WITF that in a typical week, the store had been selling between $8,000 and $10,000 worth of guns, ammunition and accessories, a trend that’s been steady since March.

FILE PHOTO: Semi-Automatic handguns are displayed at Duke's Sport Shop, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in New Castle, Pa.

Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

FILE PHOTO: Semi-Automatic handguns are displayed at Duke’s Sport Shop, Wednesday, March 25, 2020, in New Castle, Pa.

According to the state police, the number of PICS requests began to rise in March, when COVID-19 first hit the state.

Since then, civil unrest and election year politics have continued to push the surge as people worry about gun laws changing, according to State Police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski.

“Anytime people think that the laws and regulations around firearms might change they want to get their firearms purchased before those changes happen,” he said.

Background checks are also up nationwide with a record 21 million complete last year according to the National Firearm Industry Trade Association.

PICS checks are used by county sheriffs and licensed firearm dealers before a person can legally make a purchase.

State police issued permit denials to 7,458 people in the last three months of last year.

Kate Landis / WITF

One of few boxes of ammunition at at 717 Armory in Harrisburg, Pa., on Sept. 3, 2020.

“The performance of PICS in 2020 really showed we have the ability to scale up when needed. And the technology and more so the people behind the system really stepped up to make the system work successfully despite the record setting pace,” Tarkowski said.

Before 2020, the first quarter of 2013 held the record – when 369,807 PICS checks were completed.

State police encourage gunowners to maintain best safety practices when storing and handling their guns. Tarkowski noted the firearms inventory card issued by the state with safety tips, as well as space for owners to keep track of their gun’s serial number, make and model.

He said while it’s not required by law to keep such records, it could help police in an investigation if a gun is stolen or lost.

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