Call volume shuts down FBI’s firearm background checks, stops Maine sales on Black Friday

[hack89]

BREWER, Maine — Sometime early on Black Friday, the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, went down and stopped all gun sales, Bangor-area gun dealers said.

High call volumes caused “intermittent outages” in the system, an FBI spokesman confirmed Friday afternoon.

Black Friday sales played a role in the problems with NICS, the director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division said, responding to an email from the Bangor Daily News.

“The NICS has experienced intermittent outages today due to high call volumes,” Stephen G. Fischer Jr. said at about 2:15 p.m.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/23/business/high-volume-of-calls-shuts-down-fbis-background-check-system-for-firearms-sales-costs-bangor-area-gun-dealers-business/

The blowback continues.

[ileus]

1. Sounds like a strong Holiday Season for firearm companies and their workers.

With such great new offerings nearly everyone out there has 4 or 5 new designs on their Holiday list. Now if only we all had the cash to make all those wishes come true.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

3. Hmmm...

...the shirt makes sense.

[Loudly]

2. What a sick society. Some here actually rejoice over this kind of story.

[slackmaster]

4. It means the economy is picking up steam

People buy luxury items such as firearms only when they have enough income to support discretionary spending.

Do you have a problem with the economy improving, Shares?

[Loudly]

6. Just the deaths and permanent injuries resulting from such "prosperity."

[slackmaster]

8. In 2011 there were just 26 homicides in the entire state of Maine

Up slightly from 24 in 2010.

Uh, yeah. Big crime problem in Maine.

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/mecrime.htm

BTW - Historically, crime rates tend to be inversely correlated with the state of the economy. More jobs means less crime.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

18. So

If the gun sales were not for protection or to prevent crime, which you say is low, then they were for pleasure and recreation which doesn't support any urgency argument.

[hack89]

20. Who is arguing urgency? nt

[fightthegoodfightnow]

25. Waiting Periods or Not Being Able to Process Fast Enough

[hack89]

26. If the background check is completed with no problems

then there is no need for a waiting period. I have no problem with those rare situations where the check takes a couple of days.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

27. Cool.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

19. Oh

You state. 'BTW - Historically, crime rates tend to be inversely correlated with the state of the economy. More jobs means less crime.'


Good to remember next time you argue it's because they had more guns.

[slackmaster]

21. You cannot cite a single instance where I have ever said that more guns correlates with less crime

Because I have never written any such thing in my life.

You remind me of a certain other poster who now only lurks on this forum - He repeatedly stated that I carry a gun in public in spite of being admonished repeatedly that I do not. Or the other long-gone former participant who repeatedly accused me of selling guns for a living, which is prohibited by the terms of my Federal Firearms License (I am a licensed collector.)

Please try to keep the facts straight. I respect you for your support of free speech, FTGFN. I would appreciate it if you would not misrepresent my views.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

24. Ok

I've heard it so often, I may have inappropriately assumed it would be one of your arguments. I get it now.. It's not one of your arguments.

Certainly doesn't mean many others in this group are not using it.

PS- I won't compare you to other gun enthusiasts if you don't compare me to other gun control advocates.

[friendly_iconoclast]

29. "Certainly doesn't mean many others in this group are not using it." Kindly point them out n/t

[fightthegoodfightnow]

31. Here

Skackmaster: You cannot cite a single instance where I have ever said that more guns correlates with less crime

I responded: Certainly doesn't mean many others in this group are not using it.

You respond: Kindly point the out

There are a several. Quick Google Search will find them.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/117288240
http://www.democraticunderground.com/117259334
http://www.democraticunderground.com/117244719
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=349012&mesg_id=349076

I appreciate this post by you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=386913&mesg_id=386938

Do you think no one has espoused that position on the board? If not, why did you make that post?

[friendly_iconoclast]

32. Ah. My bad. I read 'correlation' as 'causation'.

Only in the third link and upthread from the one where quoted me is causation claimed.

And no, I don't buy John Lott's causation theory. The most that can be said is "More guns
will *not* result in an increase in crime", which is counter to the now abandoned claim of
"More Guns=More Crime" (rather amusingly discussed in the following subthread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=386913&mesg_id=387117

No, you have not been told "more guns = more crime"

made up

yup

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=386913&mesg_id=387144

friendly_iconoclast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-03-11 11:15 PM
Response to Reply #28
30. The Violence Policy Center had a paper with that very title

Note also some of your, ahem, distinguished predecessors here at DU have made that claim:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=10169&mesg_id=10277

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2750903

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=10169&mesg_id=10222

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x336040#336136

"divideandconquer (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-22-10 05:02 PM
Response to Reply #33
52. More guns=more murder"

http://www.vpc.org/studies/ltk4cont.htm

License to Kill IV
More Guns, More Crime


http://www.nber.org/papers/w7967

More Guns, More Crime
Mark Duggan

Published: Duggan, Mark. "More Guns, More Crime," Journal of Political Economy, 2001, v109(5,Oct), 1086-1114.

http://law.jrank.org/pages/1294/Guns-Regulation-More-guns-more-crime.html

Regulation of Guns - More Guns, More Crime

Read more: Regulation of Guns - More Guns, More Crime - Countries, Rates, Outcomes, Similar, and United
http://law.jrank.org/pages/1294/Guns-Regulation-More-guns-more-crime.html#ixzz1FbHebEJP

[slackmaster]

33. Thank you for a reasonable, rational reply.

PS- I won't compare you to other gun enthusiasts if you don't compare me to other gun control advocates.

You've got a deal.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

36. !!!

Let's work on world peace and ending hunger next! Seriously, like most, I much prefer civil discourse as I'm sure you do as well, although I fall short more than I would like.

[glacierbay]

10. The same exact thing can be said about the auto industry.

you know, "Just the deaths and permanent injuries resulting from such "prosperity."

See what I did there? Turned your own words against you.

[DonP]

15. Well, what are you doing about it besides whining incessantly?

You've had at least 2 personalities on DU so far, and both of them whine and whine about guns, too may guns with too many citizens.

But as far as I've seen that seems to be all you do about it. Whine.

You don't belong or contribute to any gun control organizations. You never write about any petitions you circulate to repeal CCW, make background checks more stringent or whatever you want done. You never seem to copy and paste all the LTTE you must be writing every week.

When asked about how you would reduce all these death spewers, you never seem to have any answers. Certainly none that are even vaguely constitutional.

Fundamentally your POV on these issues seems to have all the substance of a fart in a windstorm.

[oneshooter]

16. That describes most all of the anti's here.

[upaloopa]

28. Just asking. Why do you always put bullshit questions in a reply?

You're just trying to what?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

34. You do not know the history of that particular poster (Loudly)

Who IMO has been tombstoned previously with a user name of Shares United.

[Straw Man]

35. Not just an opinion.

The user now known as Loudly is clearly Shares United, a tombstoned former member. He/she was busted straight out of the gate by a repeated pattern of phrases that were unique to his/her writing. Now he/she is attempting to shake off those accusations by avoiding those phrases, but the ID has been made. Forensic linguistics rides again.

[hack89]

5. No - we rejoice over historically low levels of gun violence

we understand there is no correlation between gun violence rates and rates of gun ownership so stories like this don't upset us.

[glacierbay]

9. Nope

we rejoice over the fact that we as Americans have the FREEDOM to exercise our 2A right.

[ileus]

11. It's not sick to celebrate freedom, and care for our families.

[Berserker]

12. OH do I ever agree

Some of our society is so sick they blame gun violence on the law abiding citizens. They actually want to take guns away from them. Can you believe some people are that ignorant?

[oneshooter]

13. I rejoice that I have a Texas CHL and don't have to go through the NICS check.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Good Afternoon Shares United

How does being a Zombie suit you these days?

[DonP]

22. He's still all squawk and no action, just like before. NT

[Straw Man]

17. I'm not rejoicing.

What a sick society. Some here actually rejoice over this kind of story.

I'm one of those people who had to wait an unconscionably long time to get a gun transferred on Black Friday. Nope, not rejoicing at all.

[4th law of robotics]

23. Gun ownership is a right

if the government puts in place restrictions on those rights they should at least provide enough staff that those restrictions can be observed in a timely manner.

It's not any different than failing to provide sufficient numbers of voting booths, preventing people from exercising their rights in a timely manner.

[Glaug-Eldare]

7. One sign that NICS needs a lot of upgrades

if it's ever going to support an opt-out FOID scheme proposed by some other members.

[trouble.smith]

30. This is terrible.

The government needs to improve the NICS if they're going to mandate its use. otherwise they're violating civil rights.