According to a recently published report by the National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF),  the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) carried out 680,671 background checks connected to firearms for the week in the run up to, and including, “Black Friday” (November 24). That number represents a slight decrease from 2022’s total of 711,372 during the same timeframe. The 2023 total marks a 4.3 decrease from the 2022 number.

FBI NICS conducted 214,913 background checks “Black Friday” in 2023 alone. That is the highest single-day total for a “Black Friday” on record.

“The background checks reported by the FBI are in keeping with the trends NSSF has seen throughout the year. Firearm sales remain consistently strong, with over a million per month for more than four years running,” observed Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “These figures tell us that there is a continued strong appetite for lawful firearm ownership by law-abiding Americans and that firearm manufacturers across the country continue to deliver the quality firearms our customers have come to expect.”

NSSF observed that yearly background check data demonstrates that gun sales will generally rise during the closing months of the year which coincides with hunting seasons and holiday shopping.

NSSF detailed the number of FBI NICS background checks that were conducted in the week of Black Friday below:

Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023: 95,354

Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023: 52,521

Monday, Nov. 20, 2023: 79,970

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023: 101,199

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023: 110,703

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023: 26,011

Friday, Nov. 24, 2023: 214,913

Despite what anti-gunners say, Americans are not going to quickly give up their guns. If anything, the past three years of socio-economic instability shows that people have lost faith in the system and are willing to rely more on the right to bear arms to defend themselves and their property as opposed to law enforcement.

Such trends will continue if things don’t stabilize in the US anytime soon.