Firearm background checks in the U.S.

Background checks performed by the FBI on those hoping to purchase a firearm have risen, sometimes dramatically, throughout the country in the past five years.

Ohio matched the trend, as the state broke its record for monthly background checks in each of the final two months of 2012, with 74,534 in November and 102,531 in December. Ohio ranked seventh nationally for 2012, far behind leader Kentucky (2.59 million).

Required by law since Novermber 1998, the checks set a national record for the eighth straight year in 2012, when 19,592,702 were performed. That was a 54 percent increase from five years earlier.

Firearm background checks, 2012

Click on states to view background check information from 2008-12.

Checks in 2012

Fewer than 100,000
100,000-300,000
300,000-500,000
500,000 or more

 

Increases in background checks, 2008-12

From 2008 to 2012, each state saw at least a 20 percent increase in firearm background checks. Chart sorted by percentage change in that time, with Ohio and bordering states highlighted.

State 2008 2012 % change 2008-2012
Wisconsin 186,819 469,375 151.2%
Indiana 219,900 475,607 116.3%
New Jersey 40,525 85,851 111.8%
Hawaii 8,569 17,428 103.4%
Rhode Island 12,405 24,050 93.9%
New Hampshire 67,293 128,178 90.5%
Tennessee 282,819 524,122 85.3%
North Dakota 46,832 84,867 81.2%
Ohio 350,014 629,215 79.8%
Massachusetts 119,859 210,453 75.6%
Delaware 18,102 30,724 69.7%
Illinois 615,941 1,036,061 68.2%
Kansas 126,084 210,972 67.3%
South Carolina 184,941 308,408 66.8%
Oklahoma 221,612 367,976 66.0%
Florida 503,672 834,319 65.6%
Washington 316,589 519,209 64.0%
Arizona 208,721 339,663 62.7%
Maine 56,561 91,834 62.4%
Pennsylvania 598,544 968,534 61.8%
Virginia 278,974 448,754 60.9%
Missouri 321,487 513,303 59.7%
Minnesota 277,175 440,992 59.1%
Vermont 21,991 34,507 56.9%
Nevada 95,252 146,363 53.7%
West Virginia 147,689 225,580 52.7%
New York 221,920 338,619 52.6%
Maryland 89,583 136,604 52.5%
Connecticut 155,885 237,496 52.4%
Texas 944,568 1,436,132 52.0%
Nebraska 56,589 85,860 51.7%
Oregon 179,887 267,041 48.4%
Colorado 285,521 414,838 45.3%
California 780,398 1,132,603 45.1%
Alabama 299,432 431,356 44.1%
South Dakota 62,489 88,447 41.5%
North Carolina 347,473 489,307 40.8%
Alaska 61,729 85,342 38.3%
Montana 97,599 134,455 37.8%
Kentucky 1,881,101 2,589,358 37.7%
Iowa 108,330 147,700 36.3%
Idaho 100,457 136,482 35.9%
New Mexico 106,131 143,419 35.1%
Louisiana 248,355 326,290 31.4%
Wyoming 49,255 63,356 28.6%
Arkansas 191,799 246,193 28.4%
Utah 181,592 230,999 27.2%
Georgia 367,374 465,560 26.7%
Mississippi 181,068 222,297 22.8%
Michigan 357,335 430,405 20.4%

-- Kyle Nagel, staff writer