The anti-gunners aren’t going to like this one. Gun sales have spiked following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the Democratic nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new report.
Gun sales have remained at over one million per month since 2019, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported. But they had leveled out before July 2024.
Historically high, gun sales had slowed month-over-month until the incident involving Trump and Harris’ elevation to official Democratic presidential candidate, The Washington Examiner reported. The selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, an ardent proponent of gun restrictions, as Harris’ running mate has fueled more fears of government action on firearms among gun owners.
“Business picked up a few percentage points at the end of July into early August, and I think we can thank Kamala Harris and the Democrat Party for that,” said Justin Anderson, marketing director for Hyatt Guns in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The NSSF estimated that over the past five years, about 86,410,889 firearms have been sold. This is a significant increase since Biden took office. There appear to be indications that the attempt on Trump’s life may have contributed to the rise in gun purchases.
Matthew Miller, CEO of CashForArms.com, said:
While the incident itself triggered widespread anger, we saw relative calm in the days that followed, thanks to an uplifting and unifying Republican National Convention. Since that time, however, our customers have grown more and more suspicious about what took place that day.
Of course, Harris becoming the Democratic Party’s new standard-bearer has also had an impact given her opposition to gun ownership. Anderson predicted that “a Kamala Harris presidency will include some sort of ‘assault weapons ban,’” and said, “This is the first time in many years I’m confident in saying that.”
The assassination attempt likely brought with it fears of more politically-motivated violence given the country’s current political environment. As with 9/11, when there were fears of additional terrorist attacks, folks might be concerned about future assassination attempts against politicians or others. It makes sense that the shooting might motivate people to arm themselves.
Moreover, the details surrounding the shooting are a cause for concern. The fact that the shooter was not stopped by the Secret Service and law enforcement, even though rallygoers warned about his presence on the top of the building from which he opened fire, should make people lose even more confidence in the government. After all, if they can’t protect a former president from a troubled, 20-year-old individual, how will they protect us?
This, combined with crime rates that are still high, would be more than enough to motivate people to become first-time gun owners or to add to their arsenals. The upcoming elections could be pivotal for gun rights, depending on how the makeup of the White House and Congress shapes up. With the political climate becoming more uncertain, more people are realizing that it is high time to arm themselves, and that is a positive development.
