Corona, lack of police, growing violence cause surge of gun sales in US

Washington – In the first six months of this year, more than 20 million guns were sold in the United States. This denotes an increase of over 15 per cent compared to last year. The spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the lack of police and the escalating violence have led to a surge in gun sales, with vendors claiming that there is a shortage of ammunition.

Information provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Rifles Association (NRA) highlighted the growing trend of gun sales. In 2020, a total of 39.7 million guns were sold in the United States. Last year’s sales were attributed to the presidential election, political discontent, lockdown and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new figures show that the change of guard in the United States. Besides, the other factors further contributed to increased gun sales. In the first six months of the new year, more than 22 million guns were sold. This is a ‘record-breaking’ sale in the first half, since gun sales began to be recorded. The state of Illinois alone has reported sale of more than 6 million guns. Eight states in the United States have reported sales of more than half a million guns each. These include major states such as California, Florida, and Texas.

According to sources, the number of first-time buyers of guns is high. Moreover, the share of women and senior citizen buyers has also increased. Many major cities in the United States have seen a sharp rise in violent incidents. Lack of police was seen as one of the primary reasons behind these incidents.

Several policemen have died in the Coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, campaigns like ‘Defund Police’ have also gained momentum. As a result, complaints of insufficient manpower for the safety of citizens have started coming from the police force itself. Therefore, the agencies said this lack of police is a major factor behind the increasing purchase of guns. Due to the unavailability of police, the feeling of insecurity is prevailing among the citizens. For their security, the need for weapons has led to the purchase of firearms in large numbers.

Rising purchases of firearms have also led to a shortage of ammunition. It is said that gun dealers have started importing bullets from abroad. According to vendors, the bullets are being imported from European countries and countries like Russia.