U.S. Record Gun Sales: Americans Buy Arms in Record Numbers in 2020 During a Year of Unrest

U.S. Record Gun Sales: Americans Buy Arms in Record Numbers in 2020 During a Year of Unrest

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According to industry and firearms data, nearly 23 million guns were purchased by 2020, according to Small Arms Analytics, a consulting firm in Greenville, South Carolina.

According to Small Arms Analytics, this is a 65% increase compared to 2019, when 13.9 million guns were sold.

As there is no national weapons register, publications on firearms and background checks are the best sources to measure sales.

FBI background checks on arms buyers have increased throughout the year, but the biggest jumps – March, June, July and December – overlap with periods of political and social unrest. Background checks are not directly related to the number of guns sold.

In March, the FBI conducted more than 3.7 million background investigations – a month that coincided with the start of the pandemic. That is more than 1 million additional background checks than those carried out in March 2019.
During the unrest following the police murder of George Floyd, the background check increased again: to 3.9 million in June and 3.6 million in July. This compares with 2.3 million background tests in June 2019 and 2 million in July 2019.
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And political uncertainty after the presidential election overlaps with a jump in gun background checks in November, at 3.6 million, and December at 3.9 million. This compares with 2.6 million in November 2019 and 2.9 million in December 2019.
The increase in arms sales also continued into 2021. In January, when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and a new administration took office, the FBI was overloaded with 4.3 million requests for background checks – up from 2, 7 million requests last year. These checks are started by gun dealers.

Requests for background checks decreased to 3.4 million in February, but are still 23% higher than in February 2020.

There were also notable increases at the state level:

A record number of Georgia residents checked firearms background in 2020:

904,035, almost 68% higher than in the previous year.

In Michigan, the January background tests increased by 155% from the previous January.

– New Jersey had a 240% increase in January in January.

Ken Baye, owner of Stoddard's Range and Guns in Atlanta, said he sees a different kind of client these days: new shooters.

“We seem to be living in chaos”

At gun shops and gun ranges, business is booming.

Atlanta resident Syra Arzu, 38, wanted to buy a Glock pistol. But the store was completely sold out, so she settled on a Smith & Wesson.

The single mother of three young children says she has never felt the need for a gun until now.

“We seem to be living in chaos and it gives me some kind of control over the chaos,” Arzu said.

After Arzu got her hair, her friend was convinced to buy one of her own. And another friend who accompanied Arzu to the gun shop picked up his new gun last week.

“So you are welcome, gun industry,” Arzu said.

Ken Baye, owner of Stoddard’s Range and Guns in Atlanta, said he sees a different kind of client these days: new shooters.

“We see a lot of women coming in, a lot of couples, people with children,” he said. “We really see every walk of life.”

Arms sales set a new record in January following the Capitol Hill uprising
Philip Smith, founder of the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA), says many of those who buy guns today are people who five years ago could never have imagined owning a firearm. Covid-19, he says, was the game changer.

‘It was something people had, regardless of color, regardless of your social background, your economic status, you said to yourself,’ OK if we do not have food next week, what are we going to do to protect ourselves and our families? ? ‘

NAAGA sees steady growth of about 800 to 1,000 new members per month, Smith said.

Industry data and firearms background tests show that by 2020, nearly 23 million guns were purchased, according to Small Arms Analytics, a consulting firm in Greenville, South Carolina.

Other recent gun sales increase

It is not uncommon for gun sales to rise if a Democrat wins the White House. The election and re-election of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 were both followed by increases in gun sales.
The previous record of 15.7 million guns sold in a calendar year was set in 2016, when many gun lovers feared that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would win the White House.
Dabney Evans is concerned about numbers of a different kind: murders, suicides and injuries. An associate professor of global health at Emory University, says his studies show that more guns mean more deaths and injuries as a result.

“If we look at the global picture, we know we have much more prices in the US than in other countries, and we also know that we have even higher violence and unintentional injuries due to gun ownership,” Evans said.

Evans says if people want to arm themselves, these days it’s the best way to wear a mask, wash your hands, and get a vaccine.

Arzu follows all the advice, but still feels better with a gun in her house that she keeps locked in a safe.

“It’s like a safety blanket,” she said.

CNN’s Chauncey Alcorn contributed to this report.

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