Georgians taking key step to purchase guns in record numbers

ATLANTA (AP) - Data shows that Georgians in record numbers are taking a key step to obtain a gun.

The federal government by law doesn’t keep a count of the number of guns sold, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

But one measure - the number of background checks performed by the FBI - is up sharply.

In 2020, a record 904,000 Georgians got firearms background checks. The average for the previous five years was about 561,800.

Nationally, a record 38.9 million Americans got background checks, up 14.7 million from 2019.

The background checks are required before Americans can buy guns from licensed gun dealers, but are not needed for person-to-person sales.