NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill tosses a pistol on top of about 2,000 guns slated for destruction in Manhattan on Oct. 26, 2016. Credit: Charles Eckert
Gun control advocates are facing an uphill battle like never before! More Americans than ever are realizing that having a gun is a wise move — and acting on that realization. Since the start of 2020, millions of Americans have become ‘first-time gun buyers.’
The record-breaking numbers even hold true in New York state — a state that doesn’t have the reputation of being gun friendly. With the rise of violence in Bill DeBlasio’s New York City, data from the month of June indicates that New Yorkers are buying guns faster than ever.
The FBI reports that in the month of June, New Yorkers ran 52,252 background checks for gun purchases. That’s an increase of 121% comparison to last June.
And July was no different, with sales off the charts at an increase of 134% — though the detailed data isn’t in yet.
Cliff Pfleger, owner of a gun shop in Long Island, said of the 2020 rush:
“When the original COVID scare started in the beginning of March and people thought they might get laid off, at that point we saw a huge surge. We sold out of almost everything we had in the store. “We had lines continuously, even though we didn’t have things to sell. The people who are coming to the store — a lot of them were first-time firearm purchasers, and they obviously did not apply or have a handgun license.”
But it didn’t stop there, as gun owners across the country know. The 2020 Gun Rush has affected supply all across the country.
Mediaite reports:
The incredible surge in demand outstripped our production capacity, ” Sturm, Ruger and Co. CEO Christopher Killoy told investors on a Thursday earnings call on Thursday. He said it was the “strongest level of demand” he had seen in 30 years and that it “has impacted all levels of the channel and the impact on inventory at all levels.”
In fact, gun sales for 2020 have already surpassed sales for all of 2019, combined!
Additionally, the FBI’s NICS checks don’t even capture all gun sales, since a single background check can allow a buyer to purchase multiple guns at a time. Additionally, anybody with a concealed carry license has already passed a background check to get their permit, and thus won’t need to run the check again when they go to a gun store.
This year will go down in American history, no doubt. It could go down as the Year of the Virus or the Year of the Riot, but we think it should go down as the Year of the GUN!