Sales Bang: Black Friday Biggest Day for Gun Sales

(AP) — Black Friday is also one of the biggest days of the year for gun sales. That puts pressure on the system for background checks. 

Researchers with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is overseen by the FBI, have until the end of the third business day following an attempted firearm purchase to determine whether a buyer is eligible. After that, buyers have the right to get their guns even if the check wasn’t completed.

Last year, the clock ran out more than 186,000 times.

The problem is the records submitted by states, which aren’t always updated to reflect restraining orders or other reasons to deny a sale.

NICS did about 58,000 checks on a typical day last year. The figure surged to 145,000 on Black Friday.