"Black Friday" gun sales, long one of the high points in the year, were brisk last month, with more than half a million served nationwide over the holiday week.  

The firearms industry trade group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, disclosed Monday that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System completed 530,156 background checks for firearms last week, including 165,183 performed on Black Friday alone. 

The trade group explained to Guns.com that firearm sales typically rise during the last few months of the year, coinciding with hunting seasons and holiday sales. While not as high as seen in past years – 613,380 checks were performed in 2024's Black Friday week – the figures send a strong signal. 

"The background checks reported by the FBI are in keeping with the trends NSSF has seen throughout the year. While the overall trends are still coming off the peaks experienced in recent years, firearm sales remain consistently strong," said 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."

Banner image: A classic early Colt Model of 1911, a perfect stocking stuffer – provided one has kept off the naughty list. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)