US gun sales hit a new record high in 2020 and based on January sales, gun purchases will easily eclipse that record in 2021. Nearly 23 million guns were legally sold in 2020, up a whopping 64% year over year. More than 2 million firearms were sold in January alone this year, up over 80%, in the wake of the mob-led attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

Most interesting is the makeup of people buying all these guns – it’s not mostly middle-aged white guys as it’s been in the past. Over a third of gun sales in 2020 were by first-time buyers, 40% were women, and we saw a 58% rise in purchases by African Americans last year.

These numbers are unprecedented and include many people who previously vowed to never own a firearm. We’ll look into the reasons why as we go along today.

These record-breaking gun sales have understandably led to a nationwide shortage of ammunition. If you’ve been in a sporting goods store recently, you probably noticed the ammunition shelves were bare. Ammo manufacturers say it is uncertain when they will be able to ramp up production enough to meet this sky-high demand.

Let’s look at some numbers.

In 2020, we had a record 21 million background check applications to purchase a firearm. The previous record was 15.7 million in one year. In 2020, a record 8.4 million guns were purchased by first-time buyers. “It is really a tectonic shift…” says Mark Oliva, Director at the National Shooting and Sports Foundation.

Oliva points out that the rapid growth in the number of gun owners has naturally contributed to the increased demand for ammunition. He adds:

“You start to throw in all these new buyers, [with] all the people who are using already, and you start to throw in a little bit of the panic effect that goes in with seeing bare shelves, [and] you kind of get a picture of why it’s been so difficult to find the ammunition we need.”

Oliva also believes a significant driver behind the spike in gun and ammo sales is the Biden Administration and the president’s position on increased gun control. I second that!

It’s common for gun sales to jump when a Democrat takes over the White House. In January 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated, the total number of firearm background checks soared to 1.2 million. That was a record at the time and a 29% jump from January 2008.

Firearms retailers say the latest spike in sales started in March of last year when gun purchases jumped to an unprecedented 2.1 million, early in the COVID-19 pandemic when cities and states issued stay-at-home orders to contain the deadly virus. Panic buying was common with Americans hoarding toilet paper, diapers, cleaning supplies, etc.

The death of George Floyd last May 25 set off a summer of racial-justice protests and prompted retailers in some cities to board up windows. Firearms sales soared even higher, to 2.8 million in June and 2.5 million in July last year.

Steven Dulan, who teaches firearms law at Western Michigan University Law School and is on the board of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said he believes a growing number of Americans no longer trust police departments to protect them, especially after some agencies were overwhelmed by protesters during the summer.

“The folks that said they would never become a gun owner were trusting the police to protect them, and that delusion has been dispelled,” he said.

In the fall, misinformation swelled amid one of the most divisive presidential campaigns in US history, with candidate Biden promising stricter gun laws. President Donald Trump refused to accept his loss in the November 3 election, claiming voter fraud. And then the year’s political havoc spilled over into 2021, with the attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6.

Mark Oliva (quoted above) added: “People saw all of this happening at the same time, and they became very concerned for their safety. Everybody in America is buying these guns… It’s not just people like me.”

Some in the media attribute the record rise in gun and ammo sales to the increased popularity of hunting, especially with more Americans staying home and engaging in socially distant activities.

That theory doesn’t wash: Most firearms purchased last year and in January were small handguns, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Buyers typically say they want such firearms for “self-defense” or “personal safety.”

I doubt this trend is going away anytime soon.