Maybe all the NICS employees deciding to go a coffee break at the same time accounts for it.
Honestly I have no idea what causes it except it's a government run agency and those are not know for being cutting edge in the service department
I typically don't share a lot of personal details on THR that aren't directly gun related but I think this info would be helpful to a lot of folks.
There are a great many federal government departments, and within those departments there are different agencies. I happen to work for the federal government in an agency that is completely unattached to NICS and the BATFE.
In my agency for the first three years of service, you earn 4 hours of annual leave (paid vacation) every pay period. Between years 3 and 15, you earn 6 hours of leave every pay period. And once you hit 15 years of service you earn 8 hours every pay period.
A pay period is two weeks long, and there are 26 pay periods in a year. So simple math.
4x26=104 hours/8 hours = 13 days
6x26=156 hours/8 hours = 19.5 days
8x26=208 hours/8 hours = 26 days
Additionally you can earn credit hours up to 24 max and some people get comp time in leu of overtime which is used as additional vacation time.
We can only carry over a max of 240 annual leave hours from one calendar year to the next.
If a person works for a busy office as I do, you'd be amazed at how hard it can be to use up that leave. It's normal for people to hit the end of the year and in November they have 300+ hours of leave stored because they can't get away from their work without it falling apart or they just can't afford a vacation and would rather just be at work than staying home. So if they don't use their leave and finish the year with more than 240 hours, they lose that vacation time. It just goes away. It's not a bad problem to have though so I'm certainly not complaining.
Their is a program to donate that leave to other employees who are going through major health problems like cancer treatments, and have used up most of their vacation and sick leave, but most people don't like giving it up.
There are also several federal holidays throughout the year and logically people tend to take Black Friday off so they get a 4 day weekend. I actually like working Black Friday because it's nice and quiet and I can focus on my work instead of the constant interruptions that come with my particular job.
If the employees of NICS have even a similar leave system as the agency I work for then they are undoubtedly short staffed this time of year due to "use or lose". November and December become very difficult times of year to get things done in federal offices due simply to this factor. We are teams, and when members of those teams are gone, especially members with very specific authority per the Code of Federal Regulations, things can come to a stand still. It's the terms of employment for many Feds. I'm in the 6 hour category for one more year and try to maintain at least 160 hours of leave at all times in case some tragedy happens I need to deal with, but I'm usually closer to 200 hours on tap. When I hit the 8 hour category in another year, I really don't know how I'm going to use it all up and not get behind on my work. I expect to be donating some in the future. Again, I'm not complaining.
If you try to purchase a gun during the later months of the year, and it's associated with a commercialized mass sales event like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, expect the NICS system to be inundated, and under staffed. It's likely caused at least in part to the things I've shared here.
The government has been very concerned about cyber security and they should be. In the last four or five years there have been multiple data breeches and hacks where federal employees bank account numbers, home addresses, and SSNs have been stollen by criminals and foreign governments. Just about the time you really learn a government computer system and software package, they have to completely redesign it to ensure security. This creates a constant learning curve that is hard to overcome to say the least. OJT tends to be lacking in my agency also due to the work load.
The hiring system in my agency is also totally broken. We can only hire 2 or 3 times a year and if you don't get a job filled during one of the hiring windows you wait months to even try again. My office had a key position vacant for over two years due to this issue.
And finally, keep in mind that we tend to be conservative voters here in THR. Conservatives believe in small government in many areas and when we have a strictly conservative president, house, and senate, funding for many government agencies gets scrutinized and often reduced. Agendas change with each administration change and those things directly impact all federal employees. Continuing budget resolutions also make things very interesting.
Im not trying to specifically defend Feds or disparage the system. I'm just sharing my bit of insider viewpoint in what may contribute to these types of purchase delays, particularly late in the calendar year.
If I buy a gun in November or December, especially during the Obama years, I expect a delay. It's irritating and inconvenient, but not unexpected in my mind. There are many factors impacting that work that are totally outside the control of the people actually doing the work.
Interestingly enough, I am given two paid 15 minute breaks per day. I and many tend not to take them, but instead take micro breaks throughout the day. 5 minutes here and there can really help you realign your focus. Some employees do actually take a coffee break together, and I used to with a number of friends who are now retired. It's entirely possible the quoted post is exactly what happened.