The number of background check requests for gun transactions breaks records in March as coronavirus lockdown took effect

The Illinois State Police received a record number of background check requests for potential firearms transactions in March, with the vast majority coming in the last two weeks of the month as concerns over the new coronavirus heightened and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order took effect.

The state police Firearms Transfer Inquiry Program processed 60,332 inquiries — which don’t all necessarily represent a sale — in March, with 52,173 requests coming in the final two weeks of the month. That’s a 35% jump over the number of requests processed in March 2019 and nearly double the 33,605 processed in February.

The Firearms Transfer Inquiry Program allows federally licensed gun dealers to conduct checks on potential buyers before making a sale. Gun shops are one of the categories of “essential” businesses allowed to remain open under Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, which went into effect March 21.