Last year was a record one for gun background checks

Wisconsin in 2020 shattered the record for most firearm background checks, an indicator the year of the COVID-19 pandemic also marked a huge year for gun sales.

FBI and Wisconsin Department of Justice data shows the state saw 731,618 background checks in 2020, shattering the previous record of 561,819 in 2016. DOJ numbers show 242,321 of those checks in 2020 were performed via the state’s handgun hotline, which is used when a firearm dealer requests a background check for someone interested in buying a handgun.

Adam Campbell, a Milwaukee area shooting instructor, said it was the busiest year he’s seen.

“From my perspective and any of my colleagues in the industry, 2020 was the busiest year in the gun industry ever, period. I don’t think anyone would dispute that,” Campbell said of what he saw in his work at Brew City Shooters Supply, located just outside Milwaukee’s city limits.

But Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Executive Director Jeri Bonavia said she is concerned about the increase because it could mean more gun-related deaths in the state.

“I think we, unfortunately, will see a really large spike in firearm-related suicides in our state as well,” Bonavia said.

Wisconsin is continuing with the high number of firearm background checks in 2021, with February seeing 73,836 background checks performed, according to FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check Service numbers.

The most in one month on record came in March 2020 with 77,811. One year before the pandemic took hold of Wisconsin in March 2019, the state saw 47,671 background checks. In March 2016, the previous record year for background checks, the state saw 44,925.

According to DOJ Handgun Hotline numbers requested by WisPolitics.com, almost twice as many handgun background checks occurred in 2020 as the 138,836 checks in 2019.

There were also 89,365 concealed carry weapon permit requests in 2020 while only 56,224 were made in 2019, according to DOJ numbers.

However, those numbers do not necessarily mean one gun was sold for every background check performed. Some background checks end up preventing people from purchasing a firearm.

Also, private sales of firearms in Wisconsin do not require a background check and most firearms do not need to be registered, meaning there is no way to track all the guns sold in the state.

Further, one background check can be used to purchase multiple firearms at one time.

A spokesperson from Milwaukee Police Department told WisPolitics.com there is no way to know if increased legal gun ownership in Milwaukee correlates with increased gun crimes because the department does not track how many guns are legally owned there.

Homicides in the city of Milwaukee nearly doubled in 2020, with 190 compared to 97 in 2019.

A spokesperson from the Madison Police Department told WisPolitics.com the department respects the constitutional right to bear arms, but those new firearm owners need to be responsible, practice proper firearm safety and make sure they are storing and locking their firearms correctly.

DOJ did not provide a comment to a WisPolitics.com request.

Gun store employees who spoke with WisPolitics.com say the increase in background checks is reflected in the rising number of gun sales at their stores. They said people started buying guns at the beginning of the pandemic because they were uncertain about the future, but the high sales continued as the year went on.

Campbell said 2020 saw a stark increase in gun and ammunition sales even compared to 2016, the last time gun sales shot up.

He said 2016 saw a spike in sales because people are always concerned about gun legislation changing during an election year, regardless of who wins, and they want to make sure they get their hands on guns they think might get banned.

He said people started buying guns in March 2020 because they were afraid of what might happen as grocery stores ran out of food and supplies. But they continued to clear gun store shelves throughout the year for various reasons.

“I don’t think we ever saw a year like 2020, and that includes 2012, which saw a huge, huge growth in the gun industry,” Campbell said.

Maurie Mattison, manager of Mid-City Guns in Janesville, said she has seen at least twice as many handgun sales in 2020 compared to 2019, starting “almost exactly a year ago. When everybody started getting nervous about COVID, we were extremely busy.”

She said most of those purchases were made by first-time gun owners buying selfdefense handguns, shotguns and rifles.

The Capitol Report is written by editorial staff at WisPolitics.com, a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics, and is distributed for publication by members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.