Gun sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, hit an all-time record as buyers stocked up on weapons ahead of any new gun control laws following President Obama’s re-election.
The demand for firearms was so great that it caused outages at the FBI background check centers.
The FBI fielded 154,873 background check requests, up from 129,166 calls on Black Friday 2011 and 97,848 calls in 2008.
The FBI call centers fielding required buyer background check requests experienced an 18-minute outage and another one for 14 minutes on Black Friday, Nov. 23, according to bureau spokesman Stephen Fischer.
The FBI doesn’t track actual gun sales, but the number of weapons sold is surely higher than the number of requests because multiple firearms can be included in one purchase by a single buyer.
Dealers attributed the surge in sales in part to concerns that lawmakers in President Obama’s second term could impose stricter gun laws, USA Today reported.
“With the recent election, some people are making buying decisions just in case something happens,” Don Gallardo, manager of Shooter’s World in Phoenix, told USA Today, referring to the possibility of tighter gun controls.
President Obama has indicated that he would pursue an assault weapons ban. According to Infowars.com, he also told gun control activist Sarah Brady last year that he was working “under the radar” on new gun controls, and Brady said Obama assured her gun control was “very much on his agenda.”
