--- description: The FBI processed a record-breaking 185,345 background checks on Black Friday. title: Gun Sales Apparently Broke a Record on Black Friday image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cc66719ea2337c0/6988737b428a9e1427cd05fe/gun-sales.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Gun Sales Apparently Broke a Record on Black Friday  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2015 6:24 PM CUT  Handguns are seen in Bridgeton, MO on Nov. 16, 2014. Handguns are seen in Bridgeton, MO on Nov. 16, 2014.Anadolu Agency—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 2, 2015 6:24 PM CUT The FBI [processed a record-breaking number of firearms background checks](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a32508a00eb74c88acd55871c3a4ba95/fbi-background-checks-gun-sales-peak-black-friday "undefined") on Black Friday, the agency said Tuesday, indicating that gun sales soared on the busiest retail day of the year. The law enforcement agency conducted 185,345 background checks on Black Friday, the Associated Press reports, which is about 5% more than the same day last year. On the same day, three people were killed and nine others were wounded in a shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado. The FBI said it processed roughly two background checks per second on Black Friday. The total surpasses the previous record, which was set Dec. 21, 2012, about a week after the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut, the AP reports. It’s unclear how many of the Black Friday background checks were approved. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a32508a00eb74c88acd55871c3a4ba95/fbi-background-checks-gun-sales-peak-black-friday "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/"},"headline":"Gun Sales Apparently Broke a Record on Black Friday","datePublished":"2015-12-02T18:24:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:55:47.107Z","description":"5% more than last year","url":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cc66719ea2337c0/6988737b428a9e1427cd05fe/gun-sales.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cc66719ea2337c0/6988737b428a9e1427cd05fe/gun-sales.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gun Shop Sees Increase in Business Ahead of Awaited Grand Jury Decision Near Ferguson","caption":"Gun Shop Sees Increase in Business Ahead of Awaited Grand Jury Decision Near Ferguson","creditText":"Anadolu Agency—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/","name":"Gun Sales Apparently Broke a Record on Black Friday"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Cyber Monday Breaks Records As Shoppers Flock To Their Smartphones","description":"This year's Cyber Monday is expected to break records with nearly $3 billion. But it could have been a lot more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gZIs0nhT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-01T13:44:53.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gZIs0nhT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4133031/black-friday-gun-sales-fbi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```