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
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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