People line up to buy guns and ammunition at the Ready Gunner gun store on January 10, 2021 in Orem, Utah. - Ammunition and guns sales have spiked in Utah in the days since the storming of the Capitol building in Washington DC. Donald Trump faced fresh calls from some members of his own party to resign over the violent incursion into the US Capitol, as the threat builds for a historic second impeachment effort in his final 10 days in the White House. (Photo by GEORGE FREY / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by GEORGE FREY has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [January 10, 2021] instead of [January 21, 2021]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Gun sales surged last month, with the over 2 million firearms bought in January marking an 80% year-over-year increase and the second-highest total for one month on record, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal gun background check data.
Record-highs in gun sales were set in 2020, when almost 23 million guns were bought — a 64% increase over the previous year, the Post reports. March saw an estimated 2.1 million firearms sold as the coronavirus pandemic led to uncertainty and panic-buying, and sales climbed to 2.8 million in June and 2.5 million in July as the protests over George Floyd’s death led to civil unrest.
Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School professor Steven Dulan told the Post that first-time gun buyers commonly said they did not believe police departments could protect them after some agencies were overwhelmed during the summer’s racial justice protests.
“The folks that said they would never become a gun owner were trusting the police to protect them, and that delusion has been dispelled,” Dulan said.
“some agencies were overwhelmed during the summer’s racial justice protests.”
Protests do not make people run and buy guns. Riots and destruction make people realize city governments can simply restrict the power of police to quell the destructive force now. THAT has made people get firearms
“some agencies were overwhelmed during the summer’s racial justice protests.”
Protests do not make people run and buy guns. Riots and destruction make people realize city governments can simply restrict the power of police to quell the destructive force now. THAT has made people get firearms