The Pennsylvania State Police released statistics on the number of firearm background check denials from across the Commonwealth in the first quarter of this year.
When a person buys or transfers a firearm with a licensed dealer in Pennsylvania, they are required to submit background check information that is verified through the PICS system. If the person has a criminal conviction, warrant, or mental health commitment that would prevent them from possessing a firearm, the background check will immediately send that information to the firearms dealer.
In the first quarter of 2026, there were 293,713 applications. That is a 12.16% increase over the number of background checks in the first quarter of 2025.
Of the background checks, 4,543 came back as denials, which is 0.09% higher than the rate for the same time last year. When a person doesn’t clear the background check, the PSP screens the denials and decides which cases to refer for further investigation and possible criminal charges. This year, 20.47% of the denials were referred to law enforcement. This is a 9.76% decrease from the number of referrals in the first quarter of 2025.
Bickerton Law Blog Lawyer’s Perspective: “There are many reasons why the state police would decide against referring firearm background check denials for potential prosecution, and being soft on crime is definitely not one of them. In many cases, the person who was trying to buy a firearm may not have been aware that they have been legally disqualified from buying or possessing a firearm. In some cases, the information might be wrong. The other thing to consider is that many people who don’t clear the background check weren’t trying to get over and get a firearm when they couldn’t and the state police have the authority to prioritize people they think are actually trying to be deceitful. Either way, it’s always a good idea to order a background check before you go to buy a firearm. And if a person has any doubts about how they should answer a question on the background check, they should stop and ask for help and not just guess.”
Key Takeaways:
- Firearm background applications are up by 12.16% compared to the first quarter of 2025
- Background check denial referrals to law enforcement are down by 9.76% over the same period
