The year 2020 changed the world a lot. Now, many people struggle with anxiety and fear due to the pandemic. Thus, a new trend has emerged in the United States of America recently, i.e., to buy guns and ammunition. Many gun dealers reported that there is an uptick in sales both online and offline.
Buying a gun is not a bad idea if you can control yourself. Sometimes, it is very tough to resist the impulse to make a wrong move. Occasionally, we think illogically and take decisions driven by anxiety and fear. That is why nearly 40,000 people die annually in gun violence. Putting more guns to more hands will not end this soon. Today, we will discuss some reasons why you should think twice before purchasing a firearm during this pandemic crisis.
Most people buy their guns for safety reasons. They think they can defend themselves using that gun if something unusual happens. NRA (National Rifle Association) also promotes firearms as a tool for self-defence. However, the available data shows that defensive guns are scarce. If we look at the NCVS’s (National Crime Victimization Survey) data, it is clear that the individuals used guns defensively 0.5% of all incidents from 2010-2018. Other research shows that using a firearm for self-defence is less effective than taking other defensive actions.
Now, if we look at the worst side, guns are stolen regularly. According to NCVS, 1.4 million issues of gun theft were reported from 2010-2018. Once you lost your weapon somehow, it can be illegally trafficked anywhere and used for criminal purposes.
According to some research, guns in the home increase risk to the victims of domestic violence. If someone is facing domestic violence and has nowhere to go due to the covid pandemic, the scenario will worsen when there is a gun inside the house. Several advocates of domestic violence survivors warned that this isolation could heat domestic violence. Let me give you an example to understand it even better. Abusive partners can prevent the victim from seeking medical care or isolate them from their support systems. They can also disrupt the strategies that the victims have developed to keep themselves safe. These things are happening all over the world. China, the first country to face coronavirus, reported that their police stations had received domestic violence reports three times more than the usual.
You know guns are often used as a tool of threats by domestic abusers. In domestic violence, a woman is five times more likely to be killed when there are guns in the house. FBI report says that a close partner kills one in every two women murdered in the USA, and half of these killings are made with a gun. You will be surprised to know that 4.5 million women have been threatened with a gun by their abusive partner.
Now, if we look at other gun charges issues, we see some different scenarios as well. Unsecured guns in the house create risks of unintentional shootings by the children. Approximately 4.6 million children in the USA live in homes where a gun is not that much protected. It means that the guns are not properly locked using any device or a gun safe. Many parents think that their children are not aware of their weapons, but they are entirely wrong. An interesting study shows that while 39% of parents believe their children are not aware of their gun’s location, 73% of them know it. This study clearly shows us how contradictory their parents’ perceptions are.
According to Everytown, there were 1600+ unintentional shootings by children under 18 from 2015-2019. These incidents resulted in 600+ deaths and 1000+ injuries as well. You will be surprised to know that most of the victims in these cases were minor and happened at home.
Therefore, guns are the most lethal ways of committing suicide. Social distancing helps to prevent Covid-19 and spread depression at the same time. Many reports say that isolation can exacerbate risk factors for suicide, including feelings of despair, anxiety, helplessness, etc. If you add guns into that equation, you can see how fatal it becomes. If we look at the statistics, two-thirds of all gun deaths are gun suicides in the United States of America. Similarly, a suicide attempt using a gun ends in death 85% of the time.
The firearms market is widening since 2020, and most of them are first time buyers. This list includes women, politically liberal people, minorities and who not? According to the famous gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, the sale was about double the national average in 2020. Similarly, Soportsman’s Warehouse Holding Inc said that five million people purchased weapons for the first time in the first seven months of 2020. Walmart also acknowledged that they are continuously facing a supply shortage in gun and ammunition.
The data mentioned above shows us how available a gun is nowadays. So, there is a chance that you get arrested for UUW (Unlawful Use of Weapons) or any other charges. Gun laws are different in different parts of the USA. It is pretty challenging in some places, and you may get arrested simply for carrying a gun in some states. It does not matter whether you are a tourist or a businessman; you can face it anytime. You have to be extra careful if you plan to visit Chicago. You know that the Chicago police arrest more people with firearms than in any other cities. A large number of people get arrested for weapons in Chicago, Illinois, than anywhere else. You can get serious prison time without the possibility of probation sometimes. You may end up spending time behind bars or paying heavy fines for your late action. So, you have to be hurry to find a weapons attorney to avoid any inevitable situations.
Finally, we have seen so far where a gun can take you. The bottom line is to make the decision deliberate while buying a gun. Taking this decision is even more difficult during this uncertain period. So, if you want to buy it, you must prioritize its safety against unauthorized access and theft.
