Gun sales see record Black Friday
Buyers swamped dealers, causing the FBI center that handles background checks to crash twice.
Was there something in this year's turkeys that made folks want to buy a gun?The day after Thanksgiving saw a record number of background-check requests from gun dealers. The calls came in so fast and furious, in fact, that the FBI centers that handle the requests crashed twice that day, USA Today reports.
Though accurate gun sales numbers are hard to come by, the overwhelming activity suggests that Black Friday was one for the record books for the firearm industry.
The FBI thought it was prepared for the day, particularly after hitting its previous one-day record on Black Friday 2011. That day, the bureau's call center took 129,166 requests.
But this year, the bureau took 154,873 calls, or about a 20% increase. You can't equate that to number of guns sold, however. The buyer may have decided against a purchase at the last minute. Or the buyer might have picked up more than one gun.
What was the reason for the new sales? Observers point to three areas. First, President Obama's re-election may be spurring fears of a new crackdown on guns. Obama hasn't exactly done much in this area -- in fact he signed a law in his first term allowing loaded guns in national parks -- but he did suggest in one of the presidential debates that he was in favor of reintroducing an assault weapons ban.
Another reason is a growing interest in guns on the part of women. The National Rifle Association says that women are its fastest-growing membership group. A final reason is that hunting and other shooting sports are gaining in popularity. MSN Money's Bruce Kennedy reported Wednesday that there was a 9% increase in hunters last year compared with 2006.
More from Money Now
| Tags: | Retail |
Whether it’s for guns or Garmins, the American people are scared, we can all feel something’s just is not right with our America. The desperation and lines on black Friday is making America look more and more like the old Soviet Union during the days of rationing when 500 people would line up for 3 pairs of shoes or a few loaves of bread. Sad very sad.
Just remember that the belief that it can't happen here is on of faith not reality. It doesn't take a lot for urban and suburban areas to be consumed by rioting and looters. You are on your own, there is no way to sue a law enforcement agency for lack of protection. Car jacking, home invasions, the antisocial that are prone to violence, crazies, sexual predators', drugged up people, burglars. Protestors that are stirred up, are at present all capable of harming ou and your family. It doesn't take much for a situation to suddenly slip into mob rule and people are getting dragged out of cars, property burned and your possessions are all gone. Owning a gun can make it so you're escaping harm, fending off a rape or protecting your children. If you are weak it gives you the power to stop the evil.
If you don't like guns please be sure to put a sign at your home proclaiming it a gun free zone so the bad guys know who to bother.
There is something really wrong with the world and its a lot more than the liberal media is covering.
I fear for my country and its people.......it truly isn't the same country that I was raised in......freedom my a$$, liberty yeah right and the U.S. Constitution is nothing more than toilet paper to the pundits in D.C.
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
RECENT POSTS
Tired of constantly dying batteries, she came up with a device that could revolutionize energy storage -- and won $50,000 from Intel.
- Detroit in hot water over proposal to sell art
- Sears spirals toward oblivion
- Why aren't heads rolling at the IRS?
- Do we pay attention to roads and bridges now?
- Yahoo may be going after Hulu
- Apple's first computer could fetch $450,000
- AT&T adds sneaky fee onto its wireless bills
- Soaring ER use adds more pain to health costs
- Netflix gets 'Arrested Development' stars cheap
MARKET UPDATE
[BRIEFING.COM] Stocks entered the weekend on a mixed note as the S&P 500 shed 0.1% while the Dow ended with a gain of 0.1%.
The major averages began the day on a lower note as nine of ten sectors saw losses of more than 0.5%.
The consumer staples sector was the lone exception as the group spent the entire day in positive territory thanks to the relative strength of Dow component Procter & Gamble (PG 81.89, +3.19). The second-largest staple stock advanced ... More
More Market News
TOP STOCKS
Try as the bears might, they couldn't break U.S. stocks. But investors still face frothy prices and considerable headwinds.
MSN MONEY'S
- Shared
- Commented
- Viewed
