Black Friday Boost: Over 202K Gun Background Checks Processed

This past Black Friday, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) system posted the second highest number of background checks on firearms purchases in program history.

This year’s numbers amounted to 202,465 background checks processed, which USA Today noted is an 11% increase from 2018. More interestingly, it almost shattered the previous single-day record in 2017 when 203, 086 background checks were processed.

The publication noted NICS isn’t a true measure of firearms sales, because more guns were likely sold on Friday:

While background checks, required for purchases at federally licensed firearm dealers, are not a measure of actual gun sales, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System is a way to gauge market demand. The number of firearms sold Friday is likely higher because multiple firearms can be included in one transaction by a single buyer.

Why the uptick in firearms purchases of late?

It’s likely attributed to consumer fears that if a 2020 Democrat candidate beats Trump and is elected, they will impose sweeping gun control legislation. An understandable fear, indeed. The nearly two dozen candidates have made their gun control stances very clear. Yikes.

It’s also not far-fetched to see a vibrant gun culture here in the U.S.

Per the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms and ammunition industry’s total economic impact grew from $19.1 billion in 2008 to $52.1 billion in 2018—a whopping 171 percent over the span of a decade. Today, 312,000 jobs are supported by the industry.

There’s much at stake if gun control becomes the law of the land. And voters are taking note.