The #1 Item Americans Bought Since 2020
This was surprising!
Academic research has found that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a surge in gun purchases by U.S. households, with one out of every five households acquiring firearms. This widespread increase in gun ownership exposed over 15 million Americans to having firearms in their homes for the first time.
According to The Hill, The Trace, a nonpartisan news organization that monitors gun violence, has analyzed that Americans bought approximately 60 million firearms between the years 2020 and 2022. The analysis also shows that annual sales of guns are presently operating at approximately twice the rate of 15 to 20 years ago.
John Roman, who is a senior fellow at NORC, a research organization based at the University of Chicago, has stated that the current gun ownership trend is significantly distinct from the past.
As per John Roman’s observation, the present-day gun ownership trend is characterized by handguns, particularly semi-automatic ones, being kept in accessible places such as bedside tables or glove compartments, or even carried around by individuals. This differs from the traditional gun ownership approach where a rifle would be stored away and only taken out for hunting purposes occasionally.
The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in the demand for firearms, which was part of a more extensive trend of panic-buying that took hold of the country at a time when many citizens feared the possible collapse of society.
A survey conducted by NORC has revealed that between March 2020 and March 2022, 18 percent of households in the United States purchased firearms.
The surge in gun sales during the pandemic led to an increase in the proportion of Americans living in households with firearms, rising from 32 percent in 2010 to 46 percent.
John Roman has stated that a significant number of Americans, 5 percent to be exact, bought a firearm for the first time during the pandemic, which is a considerable figure. He further added that these first-time buyers were mostly younger individuals, renters, women, and people of color.
