Why Gun Sales Are at Record High

This year's Black Friday gun sales broke a record set in 2008 by nearly a third, and while fears about President Obama outlawing some types of firearms are thought to be behind 2008's record, analysts say this year's surge in sales is part of a long-term trend. Gun ownership was "politically incorrect" five years ago, but "what seems to be changing is social acceptance," an analyst at investment firm Avondale Partners tells MSNBC. "I think there might be a changing view of firearms."

Every state except Illinois now allows residents to carry concealed weapons, and a recent Gallup poll found that 47% of American households own a gun, up from 41% just a year ago. Analysts say the number of first-time gun buyers and women buying guns has been rising for several years, with handguns selling especially well. The director of communications at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, however, says this year's surge is sales is a "one-time event" which may be "the result of marketing." (More Black Friday stories.)