Article by Paul Bedard in "The Washington Examiner":
The gun industry has never seen anything like 2020, and the explosion in sales driven by the concerns over rising crime, protests, the coronavirus crisis, and the presidential election are expected to continue.
“Bottom line is that there has never been a sustained surge in firearm sales quite like what we are in the midst of,” the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry trade group, said in a report shared with Secrets.
New sales and customer data collected from gun stores are even more shocking than the latest historic level of FBI background checks for purchases, security clearances, and concealed carry permits.
According to NSSF, purchases of guns have nearly doubled in the first six months of 2020 when compared to the same period last year. What’s more, ammo sales have surged 139%.
The evidence is everywhere. I recently went to a handful of Virginia gun stores and found shelves bare. One shop had only two old pistols on consignment. And the popular 9mm ammo is nearly impossible to find. A reloading store in Winchester, Virginia, didn’t even have 9mm bullets.
“Approximately 90 percent of retailers reported an increase in firearm and ammunition sales during the first half of 2020 versus the first half of 2019,” said the report.
Sales, meanwhile, aren't just to the traditional customer base of white males. The report said that the surge is among others, especially blacks, Asians, and Hispanics.
“The highest overall firearm sales increase comes from black men and women who show a 58.2% increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year,” said the report.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/arms-industry-gun-buys-up-95-ammo-139-sales-to-blacks-jump-58