Gun control has been a lingering issue within our country, but that didn’t stop scores of people from purchasing firearms during Black Friday. According to a report from the FBI, more people had their backgrounds checked while buying guns than ever before. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System administered 185,345 requests the day after Thanksgiving. “This was an approximate 5 percent increase over the 175,754 received on Black Friday 2014,” said Stephen Fischer, the FBI’s chief of multimedia productions, in a statement. “The previous high for receipts were the 177,170 received on 12/21/2012.” The other spikes in background checks for guns occurred following mass shootings. The FBI data revealed they have processed more than 220 million gun purchases over the past 17 years. Read more.
Mark Zuckerberg to Donate 99% of His Facebook Shares for Children’s Equality
The birth of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s daughter Max inspired him and wife Dr. Priscilla Chan to give back in a major way. Zuckerberg and Chan announced they will give away 99 percent of their Facebook shares over the span of their lifetime to “advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation.” The amount totals about $45 billion. “Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities,” Zuckerberg and Chan wrote in a letter dedicated to their daughter Max that they posted on Facebook. “We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.” Read more.
Dru Hill Releases New Song Inspired by Freddie Gray
Many music artists have used their craft as an avenue to shed light on social issues within our country. R&B group Dru Hill recently released a song inspired by the deaths of Freddie Gray and other African-American men who have been killed at the hands of police officers. The song, titled “Change,” was released on the first day of jury selection in the Freddie Gray case. Gray, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice are all mentioned on the track. Read more.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
NEWS ROUNDUP: Gun Background Checks Hit All-Time High On Black Friday…AND MORE was originally published on newsone.com
