FBI: Black Friday sets record for gun buyer background checks

The FBI says background checks for potential gun buyers broke records on Black Friday. >>Click to see gun law changes in Texas. The FBI says background checks for potential gun buyers broke records on Black Friday. >>Click to see gun law changes in Texas. Photo: Getty Photo: Getty Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close FBI: Black Friday sets record for gun buyer background checks 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

Background checks on prospective gun owners hit a record-breaking number on Black Friday, FBI spokesperson Stephen Fischer told Fortune.

Friday, firearm dealers filed 185,713 checks through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. That's 400 more than the FBI processed on Black Friday in 2015.

Background checks are intended to restrict those with criminal records from purchasing a gun. This data, released by the FBI, also serves as a gauge for the number of gun owners in the country.

It's curious that the record-breaking number comes on the heels of a Donald Trump victory. In the past, it was predicted that gun sales rose dramatically when the population anticipated that Hillary Clinton might be elected, as well as when President Obama won the 2012 election.

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When Trump won the election, gunmaker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.'s stocks plunged.

"Democratic politicians are more likely to curb gun and ammunition purchases than are Republicans," 24/7 Wall St. reports. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling notwithstanding, U.S. Presidents have the ability to issue executive orders that can have a chilling, if not permanent, impact on gun sales."

Those trends are at odds with the recent Republican win.