Why Black Friday broke a record for Firearm background checks

While Black Friday shopping numbers fell short of expectations there was a report of 185,345 firearm background checks on November 27th, a single day record. The Washington Post reported that the previous high was 177,170 background checks after the Sandy Hook killings in 2012.

Justin Moyer, a columnist at the Washington Post, wrote, “Though the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people were certainly on the minds of many traveling to visit their families over Thanksgiving, it’s not clear what caused the increase in firearm background checks. Notable spikes in such checks, processed through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), are often seen on Black Friday, near Christmas and after mass shootings."

Experts commented on the increase in the number of Americans taking up their rights under the Second Amendment. Michael Bazinet, director of public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, highlighted the rising interest in target shooting while gun control commentator Robert Spitzer points to the rise in gun sales as political expression against the Obama administration. One thing is relatively certain. While a number of background checks come back denying the sale of the gun, the increase in checks continues to show America’s interest in their right to bear arms amid the debate over gun control.