Anytime there’s a background check on someone seeking to purchase a gun it’s the FBI doing the work, and on Black Friday this year the FBI set a new record for the most background checks for guns ever performed in one day.
In total, the FBI processed 185,713 background checks on individuals purchasing guns on Black Friday. That’s not the total number of guns sold on Black Friday, that number is almost certainly exponentially higher, the 185,713 is the number of individual Americans who were seeking to buy guns and take advantage of the Black Friday deals.
This year’s 185,713 background checks performed by the FBI is a new record, but it’s not unprecedented. According to Business Insider, the number of background checks on Black Friday this year just BARELY edged out the previous record set on Black Friday of last year. This year’s record 185,713 background checks is only slightly more than last year’s number of 185,345, a difference of less than 400.
Why are so many people buying guns on the day after Thanksgiving? Alex Yablon of Business Insider reports:
Retail sales traditionally spike the Friday after Thanksgiving as shoppers rush to begin the holiday gift-giving season, often drawn in by special discounts. Gun sales have been lifted by the same tide in the past — four of the top ten busiest days for NICS were Black Fridays, including the most recent Black Friday (four more of the top ten highest-volume days came in the week immediately following the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting).
But the new record-breaking day for background checks defied expectations. Last week, a spokesman for the FBI told The Trace that the bureau projected the number of checks on November 25 would fall to 180,500, a decrease of more than 5,000 over last year.
I’m going to be honest, I’m shocked that this year’s number beat last year’s record. With Donald Trump on his way to the White House, there’s no longer a looming threat of gun restrictions here in America. When Hillary Clinton was projected to win the Presidential Election stocks of the top weapons manufacturers were soaring. But things are different now that DJT won the election, without threat of Uncle Sam cracking down on guns there’s no dire need to go out and load up on rifles and ammunition. Which is why I’m a bit surprised by this spike in gun sales on Black Friday.
(h/t Business Insider)