The yearlong frenzy of gun buying went into overdrive last week, guaranteeing that 2021 will be the second-best year for sales after last year’s record binge.
Urged by the industry to extend sales over the week so the FBI wouldn’t be overwhelmed on Black Friday, the National Shooting Sports Foundation said there were 687,788 firearms checks last week.
Even with sales lasting several days, the industry representative said Black Friday was one of the top 10 busiest for background checks.
“FBI’s NICS recorded 187,585 on Black Friday alone, ranking it among the top 10 highest days for NICS checks and a .5% increase from Black Friday 2020, 186,645,” a representative for NSSF said.
The numbers from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System roughly suggest sales and checks for other firearms-related issues, such as applications for concealed carry permits.
“This figure of over 687,000 background checks is truly remarkable,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF president and CEO, in a statement.
“This year has already been shaping up to be the second strongest year for firearm sales on record, second only to 2020’s record-breaking number of 21 million background checks for a firearm sale. We anticipate, based on annual data, that firearm sales will rise during the final month of the year coinciding with hunting seasons and holiday sales. This figure, though, underscores the appetite for lawful firearm ownership in America and the resilience of the firearm and ammunition industry to meet that demand,” he added.
