A month which saw multiple mass shootings -- including high-profile murders in Georgia and Colorado -- also featured a record number of FBI-conducted background checks for firearm purchases, complicating the narrative at a time Democrats are trying to push new gun control legislation.
Background checks in March were up 36% from February, as around 4.7 million were initiated, FBI data shows, according to CNN.
The number of checks do not equal the number of guns purchased, but they do tend to correlate with the volume of sales. Gun sales have historically trended higher as safety fears gripped America or when citizens anticipated upcoming gun control measures.