The FBI reporting record background check numbers in 2020 hardly counts as news any more. Ever since the start of the pandemic — and accelerating following the death of George Floyd — Americans have been buying every gun and round of ammunition their bank account or credit limit will allow. Assuming they could find anything to buy. Images of violent protests and burning cities tend to get people’s attention.
Americans have seen police departments defunded and ordered not to do anything about rioting and looting. And nearly three quarters of those surveyed say they expect more of the same after tomorrow’s election.
Even without a pandemic and the nightly televised strife, gun sales would have been up this year. They always trend upward in an election year and when one of the presidential candidates is running on the most anti-gun rights platform in American political history, there’s no shortage of reasons for those who value their right to keep and bear arms to be concerned. And acquisitive.
The FBI’s October background check total was just over 3.3 million. That’s only the fourth highest total this year, no doubt held down by the ability of gun makers to meet the unprecedented demand. It’s also a 38% jump from last October.
The NSSF will be out with their adjusted totals for last month soon, which will be a better measure of actual gun sales. In the mean time, many of our readers will be cleaning their guns, loading magazines and experiencing some extremely unfortunate boating accidents.
