The FBI’s background check system recorded 687,788 background checks during the Black Friday week, signaling strong sales for firearms. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a firearm industry trade association, revealed the data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The system conducts background checks on people who want to buy a firearm or explosive, as required by law. “This figure of over 687,000 background checks is truly remarkable,” NSSF President and CEO Joe Bartozzi said in a statement released on Monday. “This year has already been shaping up to be the second strongest year for firearm sales on record, second only to 2020’s record-breaking number of 21 million background checks for a firearm sale.” Based on annual data, firearm sales usually rise during the final month of the year coinciding with hunting seasons and holiday sales, Bartozzi said. On Black Friday alone, the FBI’s system recorded 187,585 background …