Black Friday Broke Gun Sales Record

FBI dealt with more than 185K background checks
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 2, 2015 4:01 AM CST
Black Friday Broke Gun Sales Record
A row of AR-15-style rifles is shown on sale at the Firing-Line indoor range and gun shop in Aurora, Colo.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

This year's Black Friday wasn't just the biggest sales day of the year, it was the biggest gun sales day in history, according to FBI data on background checks, which is seen as the best measure available for US gun sales. The agency says the National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed a record 185,345 requests on Nov. 27, more than on any other day since it started processing background checks for would-be gun buyers in 1998, USA Today reports.

Last year's Black Friday saw nearly as many background check requests, reports Fortune, but the previous record was set on Dec. 21, 2012, soon after the Sandy Hook school massacre, when 177,170 background checks were processed. (The last gun store in San Francisco is closing down.)

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