According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the number of background checks for gun sales on Black Friday reportedly slipped nearly 8% this year. However, it was the fourth-highest single-day total on record in 2020.
According to USA Today, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) recorded 186,645 checks on what's typically the biggest shopping holiday of the year, but in 2019, the FBI conducted 202,465.
The agency has processed more than 32 million requests through October, which is 4 million more than the previous record set last year, which was 28.3 million.
This year's Black Friday was unprecedented due to the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the country. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 205,000 new cases were reported the day after Thanksgiving.