Black Friday Sales Trend Down, Gun Sales Still Strong

The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) completed 613,380 background checks related to firearms for the week leading up to and including “Black Friday,” according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). That figure is, however, down 9.8 percent from the total of 680,671 for the same period in 2023.

The FBI completed 169,906 background NICS checks on “Black Friday” alone. The figure approximates firearm sales at retail on that day, the total also includes background checks for other purposes related to firearms such as approvals for concealed carry permits.

Despite the volumetric drop, November was the 64th month in a row in which more than 1 million firearm purchases resulted in the FBI conducting a background check. NSSF estimates there were 1,514,773 guns purchased last month, a figure that reflects a 5.1 percent drop when compared to the same 30-day period in 2023.

With 24 states currently having at least one qualified alternative permit that allows the holder to purchase a firearm from without undergoing a redundant NICs check for that transfer, it’s widely recognized NSSF’s estimates are below actual sales figures. *The number of NICS checks in these states does not include these legal transfers based on qualifying permits and NSSF does not adjust for these transfers.

“The background checks reported by the FBI are in keeping with the trends NSSF has seen throughout the year,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF CEO and president. “While the overall trends are still coming off the peaks experienced in recent years, firearm sales remain consistently strong, with over a million per month for more than five years running. 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.”

Below are the daily totals for FBI NICS checks conducted during “Black Friday” week:

Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 — 86,224
Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 — 49,535
Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 — 89,662
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 — 98,093
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 — 104,896
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 — 15,074
Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 — 169,906

Note that these totals include carry permit applications, renewals and other administrative use of the system.