Gun Sales Skyrocket, Probably Won't Come Down Anytime Soon

Experts predicted gun sales would spike following the first major mass shooting toward the end of lockdown, and that’s exactly what new data shows. The pandemic lockdown appeared to create a temporary drop in mass shootings, but a recent spike, and the accompanying talk of gun control, are likely to keep firearm sales high for the near future.

It’s well-documented that both mass shootings and gun control talk boost firearm sales. March’s FBI background check data, as CNN noted, shows a 36% increase over February’s sales numbers.

Furthermore, the shootings in Atlanta and Colorado seem to have returned the U.S. to grim normalcy. The two weeks after Atlanta’s massacre saw 20 mass shootings, with a gunman killing three adults and a child on Wednesday.

The carnage has only emboldened Democrats seeking stronger gun control laws. The House has passed a measure expanding background checks, although it faces steep odds in the Senate.

President Biden hasn’t shied away from the topic either.

"I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common-sense steps that will save lives in the future," he said after the Colorado shooting.

In addition to supporting background check expansions, Biden has called for outright bans on extended magazines and assault weapons.

The recent events likely mean gun sales will remain high, even compared to 2020’s record sales. That’s doubly so if Democrats prove unable to actually enact the gun control legislation they’re talking about, as has been the case in the past.

"It's a longstanding pattern," said David Kopel, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.