There has been a drastic surge in the number of Americans becoming first-time gun owners over the past four years according to a press release.
The National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF) pointed to data showing a major trend in gun ownership. The number of people who became first-time gun owners since 2020 has reportedly grown to over 22.3 million people, which is equal to the population of Florida.
The impetus behind the rapid increase in first-time gun ownership is attributed to numerous factors, including COVID-era lockdown measures, soft-on-crime prosecutors and skyrocketing violent crime rates, according to the NSSF. (RELATED: Rutgers Study Falsely Claims New Gun Owners Are ‘Impulsive’)
The report highlights Chris Cheng, a competitive shooting champion who testified before Congress about the rise in gun ownership.
“The past year-and-a-half or so with COVID-19 has been a pressure cooker … When you couple that with calls to defund the police and taking law enforcement officers off the street … it makes citizens like me less safe,” Cheng said during his testimony, according to the report. “If I can’t have law enforcement there, then it is a rational conclusion that individual citizens like myself would opt to utilize my Second Amendment right to purchase a firearm and use that firearm in lawful and legal self-defense.”
Knowing and practicing the rules of firearm safety can prevent accidents and misuse. Watch as Ryan Cleckner shares gun safety rules and safe storage options. Your safety is your responsibility, so take the necessary steps during Gun Storage Check Week to assess what responsible… pic.twitter.com/FktVIQe90S
— NSSF—The Firearm Industry Trade Association (@NSSF) June 1, 2024
More than 52% of American voters indicated that they or someone in their home owns a firearm, according to an NBC News national poll released in November 2023. Researchers also found that 48% of firearm owners were concerned that the government would not take enough action to restrict access to firearms while 47% worried that the state would go too far in regulating guns.
