SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Illinois is on pace to set new records for gun background checks as numbers surged in Illinois to an all-time high in August.
Nearly 200,000 checks were made last month throughout the state, far above the national average, reports the FBI. That makes more than 1.3 million background checks completed in Illinois just in 2016 alone - that's more than Illinois saw in 2015 and there's still four months left to go in the year.
Other states with more than 1 million background checks so far in 2016 include Texas, Kentucky, Indiana and California.
In Iowa, only about 12,500 checks were done in August, with a yearly total of only 138, 645.
According to one gun shop owner, new gun control proposals by politicians have driven the push to buy more guns.