Bolts Rock
Living in Free America!
So there are twice as many NICS checks as actual new firearms produced or imported. It suggest a few possibilities. More firearms were sold from inventory, some level if NICS checks were for regulated transfers or out if state sales of non-regulated used firearms. Some quantity of NICS checks result in a rejection of the individual, which doesn’t turn into an actual sale.
NICS is used for other things as well. Carry permits, suppressors, minor background checks.