NORFOLK, Va. - Guns were a big purchase for a lot of Black Friday shoppers across the country.
The FBI reports receiving 203,086 background-check requests on Friday alone, nearly a 10 percent increase from last year, according to USA Today.
In the state of Virginia, a gun consumer must present a state-issued ID, and then fill out a federal and VA state form for purchase. The information on those forms gets entered into a national database and the person is either approved, denied or delayed.
Gun shop employees say some approvals happen in less than a minutes.
Robert Marcus, owner of Bob's Gun Shop in Norfolk said often times people buy guns as gifts. They already have Friday off and are out shopping so they stop in to buy guns even though the prices do not vary on that day.
Marcus said his employees follow the state system and do not sell a gun to anyone who does not pass all necessary checks. Around this time of year gun sales also increase due to the number of people out hunting.
Gun owner Donald Wright spoke to us outside Bob's Gun Shop on Tuesday and said he owns a gun for personal protection, and though he has never had to use it, he often practices at the gun range to keep himself sharp.
Gun owners acknowledge they are concerned that the government is eventually put restrictions on owning guns so would rather buy them now that they can.
