Most Single-Day Background Checks In NICS History.
NEWTOWN, Conn –-(Ammoland.com)- Data derived from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) shows that Black Friday (Nov. 25) had the most background checks for firearm purchases in a single day (129,166), with a 32 percent increase over the previous NICS high from Nov. 28, 2008.
Federal law requires FBI background checks on all individuals purchasing firearms from federally licensed retailers.
In an interview with USA Today, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane attributed the record growth to a “burgeoning awakening of the American public that they do have a constitutional right to own guns.”
These statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold. Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale.
“More citizens lawfully exercising their Second Amendment right to carry a firearm, coupled with a growing awareness since the Supreme Court’s decisions in Heller and McDonald that the Second Amendment protects an individual fundamental right to keep and bear arms, helps to explain the continuing rise in sales of firearms and firearm-related products throughout the Untied States,” said National Shooting Sports Foundation Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.
“Clearly, Black Friday was a big day for both the firearms industry and our nation’s law-abiding gun owners.”
NICS Firearm Background Checks — Friday, November 25, 2011
Total NICS Checks—129,166 (highest day ever) 32.01 percent over Friday, November 28, 2008
Federal Checks—81,609 (highest day ever) 26.69 percent over Friday, November 28, 2008
POC State Checks—47,557 (4th highest day)
Other Records
NICS Contracted Call Centers—69,497 (highest day ever) 16.30 percent over Friday, November 28, 2008
NICS E-Check—11,953 (highest day ever) 119.76 percent over Friday, February 11, 2011
About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.