More Americans had their backgrounds checked purchasing guns on Black Friday than any day on record, according to data released by the FBI this week.
The National Instant Criminal Background Check System processed 185,345 requests on Nov. 27, one of the largest retail sales days in the country.
“This was an approximate 5% increase over the 175,754 received on Black Friday 2014,” wrote Stephen Fischer, the FBI's chief of multimedia productions. “The previous high for receipts were the 177,170 received on 12/21/2012.”
Previous spikes for background checks, conducted before a gun buyer can obtain a firearm, occurred after prominent mass shootings, like in December 2012 in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
MY COMMENTS: First of all – I DO NOT like that the media chose an image of “assault rifles” for this article. Fear mongering much? Secondly, when I went for my gun permit and to get my handgun, I was told that the reason most are freaking out and getting their permits now is because the “lifetime” carry license may be going away – NOT all licenses to carry will be effected.
From a “business” perspective it makes sense that the government made a bad decision by offering the “lifetime” license to begin with. They're realizing the huge loss of revenue with that offer and are looking to retract it. So now, everyone is going for the lifetime license so they can be grandfathered in when that option goes away.
The right to bear arms will never go away – not in ‘Merica folks. As long as there are background checks, I honestly feel more comfortable with a 4 year license than a lifetime. Of course I am glad to have my lifetime – but don't trust everyone else who has one. Not everyone would be eligible for a 4 year each time – but if they already have a lifetime, there's no way to determine if they are unhinged or not.
In the end, criminals aren’t EVER going to use the proper channels to purchase guns. They aren’t ever going to do background checks and they are never going to abide by the laws. So background checks won’t work with them – however, they will work for those folks who are seemingly normal for a period and then, for whatever reason, become involved in illegal activity, domestic violence or become mentally unstable. At least the process would detour some of the riskier activity surrounding gun ownership.
Feel free to share your opinion. I know this is a slippery slope, and there are no real, clear answers, but the more we talk about it, the better.
