About 47,000 of the buyers were first-time gun owners. Buyers cited concerns over civil unrest, economic downturns, and the release of thousands from state prisons.
The surge has prompted concern that the rise in the number of people with little to no previous firearm experience will increase the risk of unintentional injuries, especially when children and teenagers are in the home.
“People are fearful of the unknowns with the election, protests, and Covid. But we need to talk about the risks associated with firearms being in the home,” said Brian Malte, executive director of Hope and Heal Fund, a gun violence prevention organization. “You can buy a firearm but that doesn’t mean you know how to handle it, which is critical.”
Experts also worry that a surge in ownership and gun purchases combined with hopelessness, fear and isolation due to the pandemic may lead to an increase in suicide deaths. Lead author Dr Nicole Kravtiz-Wirtz said she hoped that the statistics and implications laid out in the report can lead to a “mobilization for firearm injury prevention efforts”.
“We want to be proactive,” Kravitz-Wirtz told the Guardian. “We’ve seen prior spikes in gun sales following mass shootings and then upticks in firearm related death and injuries. We know enough from previous studies and evidence to know that we should uplift things like safe storage.”
