Gun sales soar during holiday season in US, FBI cannot keep up

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More than 500 guns are sold every day in the United States, with some believing a weapon is the perfect holiday gift.

The FBI warned that so many guns are being purchased, they cannot keep up with background checks. Thus criminals are slipping through the system.

During this busy sales season, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System has been processing as many as three background checks per second.

The FBI said people who should not be allowed to buy guns - felons and the mentally ill - are slipping though the background check system.

Gun ownership is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution - in the Bill of Rights, the second amendment outlines the right to bear arms.

There are nine guns for every 10 Americans. In actual fact, only one in three Americans is an owner with most owners having multiple guns.

Executive Director of Violence Policy Center Josh Sugarman said: "There is a lack of understanding of the depth of gun violence in the United States. In 2012, more than 33,000 people died from guns - it is a staggering figure."

Someone is killed in the United States by a gun every 16 minutes. In spite of that, America's top gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, works overtime to argue in favour of gun ownership rights.