Americans are buying guns in huge numbers amid concerns of gun reform laws being implemented by the Biden administration.
Data from the FBI shows that 39.6 million background checks were performed in 2020, which is a record.
Americans are growing more and more concerned at the thought of losing their Second Amendment rights.
These concerns are not unmerited, as Biden has made several promises to enforce stricter gun laws.
With sales on the rise however, Americans are making a strong statement about never giving up their constitutional rights.
The Hill has more on the rise in gun sales:
Gun sales are on the rise across the U.S. with some experts predicting that gun reform policies championed by the Biden administration as well as the continuing uncertainty around the pandemic will keep gun sales high in 2021.
A record number of background checks were performed in the past year, according to data released by the FBI, reaching over 39.6 million background checks for firearms in 2020.
And while there’s no official data on exactly how many guns are sold in the U.S., background checks serve as a good proxy, according to Adam Winkler, Author of the book "Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America."
Experts attribute the demand to fear and uncertainty that was sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, protests over racial injustice from last summer and the 2020 presidential election.
The pandemic gripped the U.S. in March, leading businesses small and large to shut down, and leaving millions of people unemployed.
In the summer of 2020, nationwide protests erupted after the killing and shooting of several Black Americans including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake. The majority of the protests were peaceful, however, violence broke out in Minneapolis, Minn., as well as Kenosha, Wisc. among other cities.
Most recently, the presidential election caused months of spotty unrest with protestors across the country alleging that the election was “stolen” from former President Trump as a result of widespread voter fraud. Tensions came to an apex when a mob of Trump’s supporters breach Capitol security early in January.
Winkler said that people may look to guns for protection in uncertain times.
“People feel uncertain,” Winkler said. “And when you're feeling uncertain, and you feel like you're vulnerable, a firearm is one of the things that you might look to to provide you with protection.”
Official data from the FBI on the number of background checks conducted in January is expected in the beginning of February. However Mark Oliva, communications director for The National Shooting Sports Foundation, said it’s unlikely that demand will slow down in the near future.
Joe Biden's stance on gun control is flawed to say the least.
Biden falsely believes that lesser guns will mean lesser violence.
The Fairfield Sun Times has more on Biden's flawed way of thinking:
“The coming years will decide the survival of our Second Amendment,” President Trump warned before the election.
Trump was right.
During the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden promised a long list of gun control regulations. There is a reason that Michael Bloomberg spent $125 million helping Biden in Florida and something over $600 million nationally in the general election.
The agenda includes: classifying many semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 bullets as Class 3 weapons (which can require nine months or more for approval and a $200 fee), national gun licensing, “red flag” laws that let judges take away people’s guns without a hearing, background checks on the private transfer of guns, and bans on some semi-automatic firearms that happen to look like military weapons.
The first gun control bill that Biden will push in his first 100 days would make gun makers and sellers civilly liable for misuse of guns they sell. That means people could sue manufacturers whenever a crime, accident, or suicide occurs with a gun. We aren’t talking about cases where there was a product liability issue or where laws are violated, such as selling a gun without a valid background check. While it isn’t stated, the goal is to put the gun makers out of business.
Can you imagine what would happen to the car or other products if similar rules were to apply? Some 4.5 million Americans are injured each year in car accidents, and 40,000 die. When accidents occurred because a driver wasn’t paying attention or was driving recklessly, it makes no sense to sue Ford for lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering. Criminals also frequently use cars when they commit crimes. Why should car companies be liable for that?
Computers are used to plan crimes, hack into private servers, and steal intellectual property. If Apple were held liable, it would very quickly be drowning in lawsuits. If the company even survived, its products would become much more expensive in order to cover the new legal fees.
Guns aren’t any different. Far less than 1% of guns are ever used in crimes, suicides or accidents, and when they are, it’s virtually always the result of the user’s actions. Many other products, such as motorcycles, have much higher probabilities of causing harm. The death rate per motorcycle is 0.05%; the date rate for guns is 0.008%. The latter includes murder, accidental deaths and suicides. Guns are also used defensively about 2 million times in the average year, according to the FBI. Will government reward gun makers when their products are used to save lives?
The truth is, as long as Americans continue to stand up for the rights afforded to them by the Second Amendment, we will always be safer than we would in a country with stricter gun laws.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!