PITTSBURGH (100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA) The Pennsylvania firearm background check system saw record volume in the fourth quarter of 2020.
It was announced by the Pennsylvania State Police on Wednesday that the fourth quarter was the busiest in the history of the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS).
The fourth quarter in 2020 was the second straight record breaking quarter.
"Our department is proud of PICS and the men and women behind the system who worked hard to meet record-setting demand throughout 2020," said Captain Mark Shaver, assistant director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Records and Identification. "For the year, we saw a 47 percent increase in PICS requests from 2019, and the team stepped up to answer the call during a global pandemic."
PICS was created in 1998 and is used by county sheriffs chiefs of police, and firearms dealers to determine an individual's legal ability to acquire license to carry or a firearm itself.
The statistics for the fourth quarter of 2020.
Fourth Quarter PICS Statistics
Total number of PICS checks conducted
420,581
Number of persons denied
7,458
Total number of denials referred to law enforcement agencies
1,317
Referred to Pennsylvania State Police
352
Referred to Local Law Enforcement
932
Referred to ATF
33
Number of individuals arrested for a warrant at point of purchase
52
When an individual provides false information on a state or federal form, an investigation is initiated and investigated by proper local or federal agencies.
