PART SIX IN A CONTINUING SERIES ON THE IMPACT OF GUNS AND RELATED ISSUES
While gun shows like this one at Richmond International Raceway earlier this year are on hiatus due to the pandemic, more guns are being sold than ever before in Virginia. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Spurred in part by fears generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing protests against racial inequality and police brutality, Virginia reflects a national trend of skyrocketing gun sales.
“A record number of guns are being sold,” says Corinne Geller, spokesperson for the Virginia State Police (VSP), which administers background checks through the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center (VFTC). In fact, she says, Virginia is experiencing its greatest volume of background checks since the commonwealth began tracking them in 1989.
The trend, confirmed by data from the VSP and the FBI, shows that while some folks were busily emptying store shelves of toilet paper, others were lining up to buy guns.
Total VFTC background checks in March, April and May jumped from 106,914 in 2019 to 199,374 in 2020. Geller stresses that while the checks are a barometer of sales, each background check could be for more than one weapon during that period.
On July 1, landmark gun legislation limiting sales of handguns to one per person per month went into effect in Virginia.
This spring, state and federal officials debated whether gun stores should be allowed to remain open as essential businesses during the pandemic lockdown. Despite predictions from some legislators and gun store owners that the legislation and the lockdown would hurt business, the opposite has occurred.
At Colonial Shooting Academy, sales of not only weapons, but also ammunition, holsters and other firearm paraphernalia have increased, says spokesperson Peyton Galanti. “Sales are booming, and classes are filled until December,” she adds, confirming that the pandemic and the protests have been “great for business. People want to feel protected.”
Source: Virginia Firearms Transaction Center
The FBI reports that background checks run though the National Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) surpassed the single-month record set in March of 3.7 million, jumping to 3.9 million in June, the highest ever since data began to be collected in 1998. Virginia’s background checks this June saw a 157% increase in transactions compared to June 2019, with 81,204 background checks compared to 31,501. Geller adds that July and August data show increases of around 50%.
Some city residents who live near the Robert E. Lee monument and other Confederate statues, scenes of ongoing protests for racial justice and police reform since May, say they became first-time gun owners this past summer. One father of three, who asked that his name not be used for his family’s safety, says he purchased a weapon after he and his neighbors reported several incidents of hearing gunshots in the night and were told by the police that there was nothing they could do.
“Most of the protestors I spoke with were peaceful, and most of the police officers were as well,” he says. “Still, when the police tell you they’ve been told to ‘stand down,’ you know what you need to do. Instead of planting a ‘For Sale’ sign in my yard, I bought a gun.”
