After record requests for background checks over the past couple of years, Pennsylvania State Police reported a decline during this year’s first quarter.
The surge peaked in the first quarter of 2021 when 427,450 used the Pennsylvania Instant Check System or PICS. The system, established in 1998, is used by sheriffs, chiefs of police, and firearm dealers to determine if a person can purchase or carry a firearm.
In the first quarter of 2021, the Pennsylvania Instant Check System completed 427,450 background checks. That’s up 40.2 percent from January through March 2020.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the agreement with Eagle Arms Productions is the first his office is aware of in the nation to curb the sale of such “80% receiver kits” long popular among hobbyists and firearms enthusiasts.
“Anytime people think that the laws and regulations around firearms might change they want to get their firearms purchased before those changes happen,” said State Police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski.
Attorney General William Barr announced a new initiative Wednesday that would better enforce the U.S. gun background check system, coordinate state and federal gun cases and ensure prosecutors quickly update databases to show when a defendant can’t possess a firearm because of mental health issues.
In several attacks in recent years gunmen acquired weapons as a result of mistakes, lack of follow-through or gaps in federal and state law.