March Saw the Biggest Gun Sales on Record


Source: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

OPINION

By John Lott
Townhall.com
April 3rd. 2020

March saw the biggest gun sales on record. And with many states and local governments shutting down gun stores in March, there were clearly many people who wanted guns but couldn’t get them. The true demand for guns was undoubtedly even much higher.

The 2.3 million background checks completed during March were 29 percent higher than the busiest month in 2016, the previous yearly high, when people were fearful that Hillary Clinton’s election would lead to gun bans.

The run on gun stores has overwhelmed the gun background-check system. Licensed dealers have told me that they are getting busy signals whenever they try contacting the relevant federal and state agencies. They say that they are having an “impossible” time completing background checks. If the system worked correctly, gun sales would have been still higher.

There may not be any apocalypse in store for Americans, but people have legitimate concerns about the limitations of police protection amidst a pandemic. More than 6,100, or 17%, of New York City’s police officers called out sick on Wednesday. At the same time, 911 calls in the city have hit record highs. Some people have to wait a long time for help.