Fears related to the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, and the upcoming election are contributing to record gun sales in the U.S., according to industry experts, academics, and gun store owners.
According to an October 15, 2020 Reuters article, previous surges in gun-buying were typically driven by things like fears of impending gun-control legislation or a spate of mass shootings, and most of those buyers were white, male, and politically conservative. But the gun market is widening this year to include people who have never owned guns, including women, minorities, and people who are politically liberal.
Surging gun sales can lead to more gun deaths, said injury prevention expert David Hemenway, professor of health policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He told Reuters that there is overwhelming evidence that buying a gun greatly increases a household’s risk of suicide, shooting accidents, and domestic partner violence.
“It’s pretty clear that more guns is more death,” he said.
Read the Reuters article: U.S. gun sales soar amid pandemic, social unrest, election fears