The US has sold 21 million firearms in 2020, Business Insider reported on Friday, January 15
The increase in gun sales was more than 60 per cent compared to 2019. It was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests and the presidential election.
“Waves of uncertainty and excitement are driving demand for firearms”, – says Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting chief economist Jürgen Braue.
At the same time, according to the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF), approximately 8.5 million Americans will have purchased their first firearm in 2020. That’s about 40% of all gun purchases in the US last year.
“We’ve had riots across the country for two months now. People are asking: will I be safe? Will the police come if I need them? If they come, will they be impartial? Questions of personal safety arise”, – Braue added.
According to experts, from the start of the pandemic in March until the summer, there was a significant shortage in US gun shops. Gun sales in 2021 will remain strong, though not as high as in 2020, experts predict.
“If you go into any firearms shop, you will see that the shelves are still empty. This shows that the demand for firearms is still not being met”, – said Mark Oliva of the NSSF.