The Pennsylvania State Police announced that the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) set a record for activity in the first quarter of 2021. It was the third straight quarter to experience record-breaking volume. The department also released the number of firearms purchase denials, subsequent investigations, and arrests resulting from such investigations for the period of January 1 through March 31, 2021.

Established in 1998, PICS is used by county sheriffs, chiefs of police of cities of the first class, and licensed firearms dealers in Pennsylvania to determine an individual’s legal ability to acquire a license to carry firearms or obtain a firearm through a purchase or transfer. In the first quarter of 2021, PICS completed 427,450 background checks.

Statistics for the first quarter of 2020 are included for comparison.

First Quarter PICS Statistics	2020	2021
Total number of PICS checks conducted	304,876	427,450
Number of persons denied	4,866	6,444
Total number of denials referred to law enforcement agencies	1,226	1,325
Referred to Pennsylvania State Police	357	296
Referred to Local Law Enforcement	859	1,001
Referred to ATF	10	28
Number of individuals arrested for a warrant at point of purchase	59	52

The previous records for PICS activity were 420,581 background checks, set in the fourth quarter of 2020; and 406,151 background checks, set in the third quarter of 2020.