Many have decided that they are not going to take it --The number of FBI background checks conducted last month for people attempting to purchase firearms shattered the previous all-time record, and experts say the surge in gun sales was directly tied to current events rocking the United States.
“The new coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing movement to defund police are bringing in new buyers worried about their personal safety, according to buyers, store owners and gun experts,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “In June, background checks for firearms were up 136%, compared to a year earlier … background checks in June for civilians seeking a license to carry were the highest since the FBI began conducting checks 20 years ago.”
FBI statistics that were released at the start of the month showed that 3,931,607 background checks were processed last month, which is by far the most ever recorded. The previous all-time record was set in March—when parts of the U.S. began going into shutdown over the coronavirus—when 3,740,688 were conducted. The Journal reports that dealers estimate that some 40% of sales have been going to first-time buyers, “an increase over the normal average of about a quarter,” and say that many of the new buyers “are people who say they never thought they would own a firearm and were previously critical of those who did.”
The surge in gun sales comes as the U.S. has experienced a wave of violent riots in response to the death of George Floyd that have spanned from Los Angeles to New York City and ultimately led to calls from leftist activists and Democrat politicians to defund the police. Violent crime has surged in inner cities in the days and weeks following the riots and demonizing of law enforcement officials.
Social media was flooded with images of rioters destroying police cars that were abandoned by law enforcement officials, looters stealing items from stores, and criminals attacking law enforcement officials by hurling objects at them and even running them over.
