Firearms sales remain strong in 2022, despite the all-out efforts by gun control advocates to discourage gun ownership. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reports that the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS) just recorded the third most active Black Friday week in its history with 711,372 background checks for retail firearms sales.
The week is counted beginning with the Saturday before Thanksgiving and ending with Black Friday itself. Not surprisingly, Friday was the biggest day, with 192,749 background checks performed. That makes it the third busiest day in NICS history. The number represents a 2.8% increase over 2021’s 187,585 background checks. The NSSF notes that the NICS numbers “are unadjusted, representing raw data from the FBI and are inclusive of all background checks related to firearms.”
The NSSF has encouraged firearms retailers to spread out Black Friday sales over several days, or even a week, to reduce the load on the NICS system. The result has been fewer bottlenecks and faster turnaround times for purchasers awaiting NICS approval. Faster approval leads to better buying experiences, stronger sales, and probably more repeat business.
NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi noted that trends already indicated that 2022 would be the third strongest sales year on record. Bartozzi concluded that “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.”
The surge in firearms sales late in the year is normal, as hunting seasons and the holidays are popular times to buy new guns.
NICS Figures
Here are the NICS background check figures for the week leading up to and including Black Friday 2022:
- Saturday, November 19: 102,376
- Sunday, November 20: 57,665
- Monday, November 21: 103,543
- Tuesday, November 22: 109,895
- Wednesday, November 23: 116,033
- Thursday, November 24: 29,111
- Friday, November 25: 192,749
What does it mean?
Gun sales are obviously strong, despite the current economic woes. The millions of new gun owners don’t seem to be going back on their decisions and those of us who have been around for a while are adding to our collections. Honestly, guns appreciate more than many investments right now.
Gun control advocates claim that fewer Americans are choosing to become gun owners, but the numbers don’t lie. Those claims are part of their concerted efforts to stigmatize and restrict gun ownership. The last few years have shown that the public isn’t buying what they’re selling. But the battle continues.
The current numbers are encouraging but we can’t rest. Those who seek to curtail our rights will never stop. We must also stay the course to promote lawful gun ownership, whether it be for hunting, competition, self-defense, or just weekend plinking. Let’s keep these numbers strong. “Common use” is the gun controllers’ worst enemy. We have to do our part to reach that goal for as many firearms as possible. The more we have and use responsibly, the harder they will be to legislate against.
