Study: The pandemic has led to a massive surge in gun sales, and a surge in gun violence to match

votefwd.org/...Along with toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and canned goods flying off the shelves during the initial panic surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, firearms surged as well. In fact, the surge in gun sales across the country was unprecedented, and symbolized the kind of shoot first think later ideology Americans have become so well known for. In March, more than 2 million guns were sold, shattering previous records. The sales marked a “64.3 percent increase over what would have been expected based on previous years.”

Now, the University of California Davis is releasing research—not yet peer-reviewed—on those gun sales, and their possible connection to rising gun violence during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, while over 2 million new firearms were purchased “there were 633 excess gun-inflicted injuries—a 17.7 percent increase over expected levels.”

Surprisingly, none of the excess gun-inflicted injuries included anyone shooting the COVID-19 virus itself dead. It turns out that guns are virtually useless in the fight against a virus. This will likely come as a shock to the many MAGA types that believe COVID-19 is like the seasonal flu, though coincidentally, the seasonal flu is also immune to firearms. Not immune to guns and bullets are people trying to stop COVIDiots with guns and no masks from entering enclosed spaces and endangering the public. 

The Trace reports that the UC Davis research team plans on updating their findings to include increases in sales and violence through June. This goes with other similar findings over the years, including the link between gun store prevalence and higher suicide rates.

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