Gun retailers say business is booming in the aftermath of protests and riots related to the death of George Floyd, a development they attribute directly to a push by some left-wing activists to slash taxpayer funding for police departments.
The increase in the number of U.S. citizens submitting background checks for approval to arm themselves began in March, amid fears of a possible breakdown in social order generated by the coronavirus. The trend has continued into late June, with the civil unrest roiling American cities and concern about proposals to neuter local law enforcement, leading to record numbers of firearms purchases.
“Anything that can cause people to feel unsafe in relation to possible physical crime to self, others and property can drive firearm sales,” gun industry analyst Rob Southwick told CNN Business, which first reported the news.
Added Mark Oliva, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “You’re seeing a reaction to people’s concerns about being able to provide safety for themselves and the ones that they love.”
Floyd, who is black, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police office knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Protests, some which turned violent, erupted in communities across the United States, with some Democrats and liberal activists joining calls to defund police departments or at least slash funding for law enforcement and move those funds into social programs. President Trump opposes such moves, but he announced his support for reducing the use of tactics such as the chokehold, used to subdue suspects who are resisting arrest.
According to reports by CNN Business, more than 6.5 million background checks were processed from Jan. 1 through April 30, a 48% increase over the number of background checks submitted for vetting during the same period in previous years. Updated statistics on background check requests, which is tracked by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is due out in July.
The group estimates that 40% of guns sold in May were to first-time buyers, information it bases on a survey of firearms retailers.
“We’ve gotten a lot of new customers,” said Jillian Biltz, owner of gun store Mad Dog Armory in Largo, Florida, in an interview with CNN Business. “The protests started happening, and then people just started getting nervous.”
