Number of People Buying Guns for Black Friday Nearly Broke Background-Check Record

by
posted on December 11, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gun_gift.jpg

Image: Gun photo courtesy of Smith & Wesson; photo of bow by monicor, courtesy of Pixabay; image composite and manipulation by America’s 1st Freedom

 

Near-record-breaking numbers of FBI background checks indicated high gun sales for “Black Friday,” which is often considered the biggest shopping day of the year.

“We saw good numbers and good traffic throughout the week,” Mark Abramson, a New Mexico gun store owner, told America’s 1st Freedom. “People are starting to think about safety again and what’s really going on.”

According to the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS), Nov. 29 saw 202,465 background checks, an 11% increase over Black Friday 2018. The only Black Friday higher than 2019 in NICS was for 2017, with 203,086 background checks. As several news outlets have reported, the number of Black Friday background checks exceeds the number of U.S. Marines, of which there are 182,000.

The NICS numbers do not directly correlate to gun purchases. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) regularly adjusts the NICS numbers to reflect actual purchases more accurately, by removing known checks and re-checks related to concealed carry licenses. So, while the NICS numbers reflect more than 2.5 million background checks in November, the NSSF estimates actual gun sales for the month were closer to 1.3 million.

This year’s Black Friday week ranks as the ninth-highest week of background checks, according to the NICS data.

Latest

single protestor at supreme court
single protestor at supreme court

We the People Versus the Elites

While the mainstream media and its sycophants portray gun control as a preference of the people that is constantly thwarted by the “elites,” the opposite is often true.

From the Editor | In the Footsteps of Freedom

If we are to keep America on the path to freedom in accordance with our Founders’ ideals, we need to bring the next generation along with us.

Gun-Control Activist David Hogg is Out of the DNC

Though Hogg apparently exited the race of his own volition, that this vote was brought to fruition shows there is an internal division.

Standing Guard | The Basis Of The NRA Is Freedom

Tens of thousands of us came together for the 154th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. We had elections and so many great events. Here is why this matters so much now.

President’s Column | It’s A New Day At The NRA

We are at a pivotal point in this organization’s history.

Virginia Closes In On Critical Off-Cycle Election: Three Races To Watch

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and that is why off-year elections also require our full attention and focus.



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.