Dealers expect gun sales to increase in 2021
Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Following last week's mass shooting in Atlanta, which resulted in the deaths of six Asian women, the issue of gun regulation in the U.S. has been reignited, as distributors and retailers expect gun sales this year to surpass 2020, which became the deadliest in decades due to gun violence.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, 43,535 deaths related to firearms were recorded in the country. Of those deaths, 19,379 were homicide, murder or unintentional, while 24,156 were due to suicide.
The report, released March 24, details that during the past year, in which the COVID-19 pandemic began, 611 mass shootings and 21 mass murders were reported.
The number of children aged 0-11 years who were injured by a firearm was 697, which means that 1.9 children, daily, were victims of these devices in 2020. Meanwhile, 299 were in delicate condition.
In the case of adolescents - 12 to 17 years old - the situation did not improve, since 3,061 were wounded by a weapon, 1,073 were in delicate conditions. In that sense, 8.4 young people were affected daily during one of the deadliest years in all senses.
From January 1 to March 25, 2021, the organization has registered 9,762 deaths by armed violence, 4,218 by homicide, murder or unintentional, while 5,544 have been by suicide, which reflects that the problem already marks a trend.
Thus, during the first three months of the year, 106 mass shootings and six mass murders have already been reported.
Statistics show that from 2014 to 2020, the number of gun deaths increased by 352 percent. While from 2019 to 2020 there was a rise of just under 10 percent.
And is that in 2014 there were 12 thousand 355 deaths by weapons; in 2015 there were 13 thousand 572; in 2016, 15 thousand 122; by 2017 they reached 15 thousand 718; in 2018 they dropped to 14 thousand 885; and in 2019 it reached the terrible figure of 39 thousand 532.
Gun sales grow
For gun dealers, the industry is growing and advancing year by year, so they are enthusiastic about the increase in sales and believe that this 2021 will also show growth in the acquisition of a firearm, with a strong trend among those who acquire one of these devices for the first time.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), more than 2 million guns expired in January of this year alone, a substantial increase from the 1.2 million guns sold in the same month in 2020.
A report by the same association reveals that, as of last year, 84.3 percent of gun owners were white or Caucasian, while 16.5 percent were Latino, 11.3 percent were African-American, 3.5 percent were Asian, 0.11 percent were from Native American communities, and 1.1 percent were from other races or ethnicities.
The report also notes that 61.4 percent of those who own a gun are men, while 38.6 percent are women.
According to a survey conducted by the NSSF last year, gun retailers estimated a nearly 43 percent increase in sales to Asian customers in the first half of 2020. In comparison, it found that consumption by whites increased by more than 40 percent, and 58 percent by African-Americans.
Similarly, it details that more than 8.4 million first-time buyers have driven gun sales since the pandemic began. Background checks for gun purchases totaled 39.69 billion in 2020, an annual record, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Notably, federal background checks for 2021 are already outpacing last year's pace as Americans spend their stimulus checks on firearms.
In that regard, demand is outstripping supply, especially for ammunition, which has led to shortages throughout the country, including for reloading enthusiasts who manufacture their own ammunition.
And, according to surveys by various organizations, many gun buyers are motivated by fear of civil unrest, attacks on minority communities or President Biden's aggressive gun control plan, which seeks to ban the manufacture of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines for civilians, as well as increased gun control restrictions on existing rifles, including AR-15s.
According to some media reports, gun dealers across the country said Asian Americans are buying guns to protect themselves amid a surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans, which have been fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huy Ha, a martial arts instructor in Oakland, told KPIX 5 who has never been busier giving free self-defense classes to the community.
The Oakland resident is also a gun owner and moderator of the private Facebook group, Asian American Gun Owners of California, who said the number of participants recently grew to more than 2,000.
"For me to pull out my firearm and defend myself, I really, really, really pray that day doesn't come, but if that day does come, I know I'll be ready," Ha said.
Gun manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger are already thinking about expanding their customer demographics to reach out to more minorities, including immigrants with green cards, who can also buy guns.
