U.S. gun sales surge on Black Friday

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The FBI says it was inundated with requests for background checks from prospective gun buyers during last week's Black Friday holiday shopping crush.

The FBI marked a single-day record of 129,166 requests for background checks that are required to purchase a gun, an increase of 32 percent over the previous record, bureau records indicate.

USA Today said Friday the actual number of firearms sold was likely higher because a buyer can buy more than one weapon with a single background check.

A spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence said he suspected the uptick was due to gun manufacturers jumping into the Black Friday frenzy.

But Larry Keane, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told USA Today 25 percent of gun purchases typically involve first-time buyers. "I think there also is a burgeoning awakening of the American public that they do have a constitutional right to own guns," he opined.