Black Friday Best-Seller: Guns Guns Guns

From ABC News:

Americans were big spenders on Black Friday–especially on guns.

Numbers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show an all-time one-day high for background check requests from gun buyers last Friday. There were 129,166 requests to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)–a third more than the previous record of 97,848 on Black Friday 2008, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said. On Black Friday last year, there were 87,061 requests.

The numbers, first reported in USA Today, reflect the experience of gun-sellers on the ground. “It was the biggest rush we ever had. Some of the people at the gate sent their kid running to the gun counter to get in line,” said Tom Ritzer, store manager at MC Sports in Springfield, Mo., which opened its doors at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Gun buyers had to wait until NICS opened at 7 before they could leave with their purchases, he said.

Of course no report from the mainstream media would be complete without an obligatory anti-gun comment by the anti-freedom pro-people control thugs at the Brady Campaign to Disarm Subjects for Extermination:

But Caroline Brewer, a spokeswoman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the Black Friday sales surge “might say something about marketing” but didn’t reflect actual patterns in U.S. gun ownership.

“The trend that has been observed for decades now is that fewer and fewer Americans own guns, but those who do own continue to add to their stock,” Brewer said.

She cited the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, which found that household gun ownership hit its peak in 1977, when 54 percent of American households reported having any guns. By 2010, this
number had dropped to 32 percent.

“There’s been a whole lot of hysteria raised by the NRA about the need to stockpile guns because (President) Obama’s going to take your guns away,” Brewer said. “It may mean more gun owners are buying more guns.”

There’s no hysteria raised by the NRA about the need to stockpile guns – at least not in anything I’ve read.  There is a lot of NRA promotional material that suggests we need to be vigilant in opposing President Obama’s recorded anti-gun agenda, usually by supporting the NRA.

For those who forget he has an anti-gun agenda, worth listening to:

Also, Ms. Brewer is either an idiot, a liar, or both.  Gallup polls report the highest levels of gun ownership in nearly 10 years.

This has been reported, but obviously it doesn’t fit the narrative of the Brady Campaign to Disarm and Finish Off the Jews, Homosexuals, and Armenians.  But then, the Brady Campaign to Make Women Fistfight Rapists only exists to further their own statist narrative, so they don’t need facts.

It could also be that guns are a great gift.  Made well, they’ll last virtually forever, they provide self-empowerment, a disciplined outdoor sport, hunting opportunities, can provide self-protection (mind you the deterrence factor is huge), and overall show that you care about someone enough to drop a lot of hard-earned money on a tool they can use for their protection or recreation.  Then there’s also accessories and training as follow up gifts or opportunities for more enjoyment and use.

It might also be that some retailers have noticed and have made excellent offers this year for the Christmas season.  Cabela’s had a black friday deal on Ruger 10/22s at around $170.  That’s a great intro/starter rifle, and a great gift for pretty much anyone.

Companies like Centerfire Systems are doing deals all through December, and places like the Scottsdale Gun Club in AZ are offering Christmas photos with Santa and firearms.