Gun Sales To Hit The 40 Million Mark in 2020 - Almost Twice The Annual Average
Firearm ownership is expected to rise by 40 million in 2020, up from an average of 25 million per year between 2014 and 2019. The average monthly sales for this year have already reached over 3 million. By August 2020, authorities had already conducted over 26 million background checks. The FBI carried out the same number of checks for the entire year in 2017 and 2018.
Background checks are used to estimate the number of firearms sold because the FBI does not keep records of firearm purchases. Over 300 million Americans went through the background checks system since the program began, with about 1.5 million being turned down. Americans own between 300 and 350 firearms, excluding this year's purchases.
The predicted figure includes firearms sold illegally. According to Giffords, most firearms used in crime are obtained through illegal means. This situation renders any gun control laws useless in preventing crimes. Contrarily, law-abiding citizens are burdened by such laws, skewing the playing field in favor of criminals.
Various factors have contributed to the rise in this year's gun sales. COVID-19 pandemic caused many Americans to feel unsafe. People were afraid that the health crisis would lead to the collapse of social order. Americans needed means of defending themselves should criminals resort to robbing the law-abiding citizens off their supplies.
Additionally, urban riots caused by the death of George Floyd in the hands of police officers also contributed to the rise in firearm sales. The demonstrations, which started as calls for justice, quickly descended into violence. The Black Lives Matter protesters went into rampage, looting, torching buildings, and harassing motorists. Minority-owned businesses also suffered the most from BLM riots.
"… on May 25, when George Floyd was murdered and then the lawful protests and the looting and rioting that followed as well, again saw an enormous spike in gun sales," David Chipman, a Giffords employee, and former ATF worker, told the NPR.
The riots and the COVID-19 crisis affected the police response rates, leaving many Americans without the required police assistance. Other factors include the release of criminals into society to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within prisons. The period also witnessed many Americans, including Liberals, change their opinion on gun ownership.
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Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing universal background checks in our state, and if left unchecked, it will not be long until we see bills like this getting traction in Austin. Texas is embarrassingly ranked 29th for gun rights, and with the help of the political elites in Austin, we will surely rank among New York, California, and Illinois if left to their own devices. Please join our fight today, and help us restore Texas' place as the standard for the U.S.
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