By Hunter Milligan

The 2020 election, riots, the pandemic, looting, unrest, the storming the Capitol in Washington, DC; the last year has been unprecedented. One result of these troublesome times is that gun sales are at an all-time high, and Americans are heading to their nearest shooting academy or gun shop in record numbers. Nearly 17 million Americans bought a firearm in 2020, making it the biggest year on record for firearms sales. 

Election years such as 2008, 2016, and 2020, when Democratic candidates were projected to win the presidential election, saw a rise in gun sales. October 2020 saw a 60% increase over October 2019. With Democratic policies leaning towards more progressive gun control, going back to the 1994 assault weapon ban signed into law by President Bill Clinton, some Americans may be potentially thinking that, as a Democratic president, Joe Biden will attempt to implement something similar. Similar to the Clinton era, the 2020 Democratic Party platform supports “banning the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines along with incentivizing states to enact licensing requirements for owning firearms and extreme risk protection order laws that allow courts to temporarily remove guns from the possession of those who are a danger to themselves or others.”

Along with the increase in gun sales, gun ranges have profited heavily off of Americans testing out their new firearms. In one example, in Missouri, news site emissourian.com reported that Gun Shack and Indoor Gun Range in St. Clair have seen nearly a 50% to 60% increase in range activity since the summer. Personally, I recently attended the Colonial Shooting Academy on West Broad Street here in Richmond for a session at the shooting range, and unless you are a member, you have little to no chance reserving a spot on the range. Memberships have skyrocketed, guns are being sold, and ammunition is harder to find. 

The ammunition shortage of 2020 is leaving many gun owners who enjoy hunting, such as my cousin, outdoors enthusiast Zach Robb, trying to memorize the drop-off time of the trucks delivering to local gun shops. Robb enjoys hunting and fishing in his spare time, and many of his hunts are documented on his instagram @brownarrowtv. According to Texas resident Jordan Sillars, quoted on the hunting, fishing, and conservation website The Meat Eater, “hunters have been dismayed to learn that their annual three boxes of .30-06 can’t be found.”

While Americans and politicians argue over gun safety, first-time gun ownership rose in 2020, with nearly five million Americans purchasing their first gun in the month of August alone. Smith and Wesson, a gun manufacturing powerhouse, reported in a conference call in September 2020 that nearly 60% of all of their products (pistols, revolvers, and rifles) were going to first-time gun owners. First-time gun ownership may be up at historic levels, as some people may be concerned by the new Biden administration’s stance on gun control. On Sunday, February 14, Biden began his campaign to end the sale of assault weapons, along with high capacity magazines, on the third anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) seemed optimistic about the bill, as she said in a statement, “We will not rest until all Americans, in schools, in the workplace, in places of worship and throughout our communities are safe, once and for all.”  

Gun sales among Black Americans are up nearly 58%, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). This rise in Black gun ownership is unprecedented. Douglas Jefferson, National Vice President of the National African American Gun Association, told CNN that he has gained nearly 5000 members. When asked why there was such a spike in memberships, he responded with, “I’ve seen social media posts saying, ‘If President Trump isn’t re-elected, we’re going to start a war.’ You just don’t know how people are going to react.” 

The trend seems to be continuing in 2021. Nearly two million guns were bought in the month of January alone, resulting in an 80% year over year spike in activity. Quite a staggering number, considering 2020 was the most active year for gun buyers in history.

In Virginia, on January 27 the House of Delegates voted on five new major pieces of gun legislation, which then headed to the Virginia Senate. The five bills, HB 1909, HB 2128, HB 2276, HB 1992, and HB 2295, include legislation preventing firearms on capital property, restricting the transportation of firearms by anyone convicted of assault or armed battery, restrictions on 3D-printed guns, increase on time allowed for state officers to perform background checks, and the ability for school boards to ban guns on its’ property.

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) Senior Director of Advocacy Lori Haas said, regarding the passage of the five bills, “CSGV will continue to work with legislators and our partners on the ground to advance these bills through the state Senate and eventually to Governor Northam’s desk to be signed into law.” The Democrat-controlled General Assembly in Virginia plans to continue to pursue issues surrounding gun control.

Featured image credit: Wally Gobetz.