Gun background checks set record

Colorado set a record for the number of firearm sales background checks in one day on Friday thanks to holiday shoppers who led to 4,329 processed checks.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation says the Black Friday tally was hundreds more than the previous five years. The number of gun sales background checks eclipsed 2015 by 207, the CBI said.

CBI says its background check team, InstaCheck, configured staffing to maximize efficiency on Black Friday and also expanded its operational hours from midnight to 9 p.m.

The InstaCheck Unit traditionally operates from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., 363 days per year, CBI says. It closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

CBI says InstaCheck members analyze eight different databases as part of the background check process for firearms transfers to ensure an individual can legally possess a firearm.

The statewide force declined to speculate on why Friday was a record-setter.

Through the end of October, CBI processed 306,664 gun sales background checks so far this year.

Last year, the agency processed a total of 350,553 such checks.