The NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association, reports that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) completed 530,156 background checks related to firearms for the week leading up to, and including, this year’s Black Friday, November 28, 2025.

The figure for the week was reported to be down from the total in 2024 of 613,380 for the same period. The 2025 total is a 13.6 percent decrease from that figure.

NICS completed 165,183 background checks on Black Friday. The figure approximates firearm sales at retail on that day, although it also includes background checks for other purposes related to firearms, such as approvals for concealed carry permits. The NSSF will later this week release its Adjusted NICS figures for November, reflecting only background checks related to the sale of a firearm at retail.

The NSSF worked with firearm retailers to spread holiday sales offers to consumers throughout the week leading up to Black Friday, to reduce applications on Black Friday and not overwhelm the FBI NICS on a single day.

“The background checks reported by the FBI are in keeping with the trends NSSF has seen throughout the year. While the overall trends are still coming off the peaks experienced in recent years, firearm sales remain consistently strong,” explained NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi. “These figures tell us that there is a continued strong appetite for lawful firearm ownership by law-abiding Americans and that firearm manufacturers across the country continue to deliver the quality firearms our customers have come to expect.”

Annual background check data show that firearm sales typically rise in the final months of a year, coinciding with hunting seasons and holiday sales. Below are the figures for each day of unadjusted FBI NICS background checks.

  • Saturday, November 22, 2025: 73,326
  • Sunday, November 23, 2025: 34,380
  • Monday, November 24, 2025: 80,078
  • Tuesday, November 25, 2025: 81,475
  • Wednesday, November 26, 2025: 86,402
  • Thursday, November 27, 2025: 9,312
  • Friday, November 28, 2025: 165,183
  • Saturday, November 29, 2029: 169,906

Image courtesy Arscor/Rock Island Armory, Data courtesy National Shooting Sports Federation