November 2015 firearms sales jump 7.7% over prior year; Black Friday sales set all-time record

The November 2015 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,432,451 is an increase of 7.7 percent compared to the November 2014 NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,329,688. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2015 FBI NICS figure of 2,236,457 reflects a 24.4 percent increase from the unadjusted FBI NICS figure of 1,797,163 in November 2014.

USA Today reported that Black Friday sales set an all-time record, with 185,345 requests processed 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."

The adjusted NICS data were derived by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases.

Though not a direct correlation to firearms sales, the NSSF-adjusted NICS data provide a more accurate picture of current market conditions. In addition to other purposes, NICS is used to check transactions of firearms sales and transfers on new and used handguns and long guns.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the December 2 terrorist attack in San Bernadino, CA, firearms retailers and concealed carry instructors are reporting an even greater increase in business, as more and more people come to realize that the federal government has failed in it's primary job of protecting the homeland from attack.

There is little doubt that December's sales numbers and concealed handgun license applications will continue on the rapid pace that have become common in the Obama years.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.