GRAY, Maine — So many gun dealers called the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, on Black Friday that the system went down twice and was slowed for those who did get through, Maine gun dealers said Monday.
Even with the glitches, a record number of guns were sold on Black Friday all across the country, Stephen G. Fischer Jr., director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, said Monday.
“We had an awful time getting through all day, and sometimes we couldn’t get through,” Adam Copp, president of Howell’s Guns & Archery Center in Gray, said Monday. “I don’t know what the problem was. They set a record last Black Friday, so I figured it had something to do with that.”
Those who want to purchase a gun in the U.S. must fill out and sign FBI paperwork. The gun dealer then calls NICS to see if the buyer is barred by federal law from possessing firearms.
“We had people waiting and some said, ‘I can’t wait all day,’ and left,” Copp said. “We may have lost of couple of sales, but we got everything through by Saturday morning. It was the busiest day we’ve had all fall.”
The West Gray Road store sold more than 15 guns, he said.
Customers at Van Raymond Outfitters in Brewer also had to wait on Black Friday. The store lost half a dozen customers because the system was down or the wait was too long, manager Rick Lozier said Monday.
“Sometimes it would take 10 minutes to get though and sometimes it was 20,” the longtime Brewer store manager said. “It was pretty much all day long. We still had a good day considering the holdups.”
Those who left emptyhanded did so “from frustration from waiting,” Lozier said. “Overall, we’re not a patient society.”
The NICS outages that occurred on Black Friday were due to exceptionally high call volumes, Fischer said.
“NICS experienced its highest number of transactions processed since system inception on [Nov. 30, 1998], with 154,873, which is nearly 20 percent over the 129,166 processed on Black Friday 2011,” the FBI official said. “The call centers experienced two short outages on Friday — one for 14 minutes and one for 18 minutes.”
He said, “there is no way to speculate, nor would we, as to how many potential gun buyers got turned away.”
System outages do happen, but they are infrequent, Fischer said.
“NICS has achieved an availability of 99.92 percent over the past 12 months,” he said.
The NICS is a name-check system that combs available records in the National Crime Information Center, the Interstate Identification Index and the NICS Index to determine if prospective firearm purchasers are disqualified from receiving or possessing firearms, the FBI’s website states.
Messages left at the corporate offices of Cabela’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods to see how the NICS outage affected shoppers at those retail stores were not immediately returned Monday.
Both Copp and Lozier said gun sales have increased since the presidential election earlier this month, based on fears President Barack Obama might try to sign into law new weapons bans.
“A lot of people are worried that he’s going to drive this stuff through because he doesn’t have to worry about the re-election,” Copp said. “That is the big worry.”
Customers in Brewer and Gray, who are worried about the possible bans, are looking for assault weapons and high-capacity handguns, Copp and Lozier said.
“The high-capacity guns, the ARs — the politically concerned assault weapons — spiked up, not hunting guns,” the Brewer gun shop manager said.
Sales are up in Gray for “assault weapons — or black guns, we call them — and high-capacity handguns,” Copp said. “People are worried.”
Copp said his customers on Black Friday and since then are not the same people who hit the malls and big box stores looking for deals.
“They weren’t women shopping for Christmas gifts — they were guys buying guns,” he said. “There were some gifts. We do a good Christmas business, but primarily what we’re selling is handguns and personal protection. That and muzzleloaders, of course. The season opened today.”
The “worrying” and paranoia is just so absurd, almost to the point of being comical. Buy a gun for personal defense by all means, but when you’re buying guns because you think the president is going to come and get yours, it’s probably time to turn off the far right wing media and seek therapy.
The world is getting crazier by the day as are the people in it.
It goes way beyond the so called far right…You wouldn’t believe the number of liberals and women I see at the Sporting Goods Counter buying guns…One lady saw 3 Coyotes in her yard eyeing her kids…She bought a Mossberg 20 Gauge Pump…I had a Liberal organic farmer who also raises Lamas buy a 12 gauge pump for the same reason..Coyotes…He has lost 2 calves this year..There are also ALOT for home defense..Point of my post is there are ALOT of NEW gun owners out there now..Then there is the “prepper” movement..They cross ALL political lines…Perhaps you need the therapy or atleast get out more…
Read the article. Read my comment again. It has nothing to do with the type of sales you’re describing. Coyotes and self defense isn’t “Obama and the UN gonna take over the country and get all our guns.” The former is the action of a rational person. The latter is not. But hey, paranoia and fear are great for sales. Good for the economy I guess?
His point is that not all of these sales are fueled by anything having to do with Obama. People have many reasons to purchase firearms which are the ideal tool of self-defense. I know many democrats and Obama voters who conceal carry for their own personal safety and have purchased more firearms in recent years. This isn’t a left-right issue.
His point is fine and acknowledged, though it is misdirection.
It’s not “worrying” that he’s going to take them, I think it is more that they are thinking something like the Clinton era ban will be reinstated and they won’t be able to buy new ones again. It’s investing in a commodity that could be in short supply.
Prices for large capacity magazines and weapons banned from future sale go way up after “bans” are put into place. They don’t confiscate anything, just prevent new sales.
That’s understandable. Though what home self defense purposes an assault weapon fills that a pistol or shotgun can’t fill (or a rifle for hunting) isn’t something I’ll understand, though that there is a demand isn’t in question.
The few attempts to reinstate the AWB since it’s expiration have gone nowhere. Though Obama has shown interest in doing so in the past, it hasn’t been a priority, and have yet to see any indicators that it will be. I can understand why one might be more suspicious of something going down in a 2nd term vs a 1st as far as the AWB. Though the compromising of the 2nd amendment and the UN stuff that’s going around…that’s obviously a different beast entirely.
How can that many people be wrong?.. Paranoia? Good luck living in fairy tale land. When the words, What the heck just happened come out of your mouth, you won’t be so passive about guns.
All you have to do is look at the Clinton ban to see what was. When the bill passed there was a rush on all the black guns they took a word ( assault weapon ) that’s true meaning is a weapon capable of firing full auto ( IE multiple shots with one trigger pull ) and used to to define all kinds of firearms. Then look to the prices. One year after the ban prices for a 10 dollar 30 round mag for a ar15 had gone up to 30 plus. The ar’s that have a flash hider, folding stock, bayonet or higher then ten round mags where going for in some cases double the cost as you where now unable to buy a new one. In the end crime was not impacted at all criminals do not obey the law so what good does a new law do?
the new law merely inflates the prices for existing gun sales
and who benefits from that?
think about it…
I can’t imagine that if there was that long of a wait that the store owner would not “raincheck” the sale price of the gun someone was attempting to purchase so the individual could just come back the next day to complete the purchase. I own many guns and enjoy shooting, but I can’t imagine that I could not wait a day or two to complete a purchase and enjoy my new toy in a couple of days. Patience people, patience.
Looks like crocodile tears by the shop owners who were sooo oppressed by the glitches on Friday.
“NICS has achieved an availability of 99.92 percent over the past 12 months,” he said.
Past tense. Can’t say that any more. Doesn’t make this month part of the 99.92 percent rating.
so it looks like these indexes look for criminals what about mental health issues??
Americans obviously aren’t looking for good times ahead. Arm yourself and your family and stock up.
If a person can’t wait 10 or 20 minutes for a background check, merchants don’t need that sale.
People spend 10 or minutes impatiently waiting for the Phone Robot to make an appointment with the doctor. They irritably thumb through decrepit hand-out trash whilst awaiting a dental or doctor’s appointment. They rise at an ungodly time to sweat hours in an explosive line of pushing,shoving, and sometimes violent shoppers, just to buy a a 50 – inch TV for a few dollars less. Then they’re told the store only had two.
But when an over loaded computer freaks out – it’s the end – Doomsday. Barack Obama planned it – he’s trying to take away “our guns.” It was obviously planned. And, Obama must have sneaked into the computer bank and pulled a fuse.
Gun sales rely on national perks from the anti-Obama clan, the NRA., and the radical right wing – driven national paranoia. And, here we sit in the middle surrounded by frenzied gun nuts and upset merchants who lost a couple of sales – all because of Barack Obama
None of the gun dealers have posted intentions of filing for bankruptcy as a result of this national “attack on the rights of gun owners” to possess arsenals of weapons. Let’s hope the re-boot of the computer has helped calm the fears of those whose minds and lives have been trapped in this manufactured dread.
The fact that we in America who have the Constitution and The Bill of Rights that include the second but are required to fill out paperwork to buy a firearm is sad. Then here in Maine our state Constitution for those who do not know says ” The people have the right to keep and bear arms, This right shall never be questioned” very clear. Our rights are being eroded a bit at a time at what point will YOU say enough?
It all boils down to this…..conservatives do not trust democrats!
oooooooooo
We dont trust democrats!…Why should we? Today we wait an hour to purchase a weapon…tommorrow a week! You will not infringe on our right to defend ourselves and provide for our families! This is our second amendment RIGHT!
No one infringed on your right to purchase a weapon. Get a grip. The world is not ending. You survivalist are hilarious.!
Obama was re-elected. Any questions why people are buying more guns for self-protection?
I cant blame any one political party for the surge in crime during the past several years. To me, self- reliance has advantages over entrusting too much security in any agency with a minimal budget.
This just in: minor computer glitch does not cause total collapse of American freedom after all.
Awsome….Just goes to show you that Americans love guns……It’s ok anti-gun nuts….
I love the fact some of you have a problem with gun ownership.Lets see what happens to you during the zombie apocalypse