Gun background checks hit single-month high in March

Context: Last month, the House passed a bill that would require background checks for all gun purchasers.

• Congress passed another bill aimed at closing a loophole that allows firearm dealers to complete sales after three days if a buyer's background check has not been finished by the FBI.
• Biden urged the Senate to pass the two House bills and called on Congress as a whole to renew bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

By the numbers: Of the top 10 days for most background checks in the country's history, six were in March 2021, according to FBI data.

• The FBI performed 236,295 background checks on March 17 alone — the busiest day for checks in U.S. history.

The big picture: A gunman killed four people, including a 9-year-old boy, in Orange, California, on March 31.

• Another assailant shot and killed 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22.
• Eight people were killed in shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16.