Soaring weapons sales correspond with key events

Californians are on a gunbuying spree. In 2020, 1.26 million guns were purchased in the state, a 56% increase from the previous year, and the most since at least 2000. Sales data through May show gun purchases in California remain well above prepandemic levels. Research suggests this increased circulation of firearms could foreshadow more gun violence.

The most significant spikes in gun sales happened at the beginning of the pandemic, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, and around the U.S. presidential election in November, according to sales estimate data from journalism nonprofit the Trace. These estimates are based on FBI data on the number of criminal background checks conducted after gun purchases. The data is probably an undercount since it does not capture purchases not made at a store, which are estimated to account for 13% of all sales.

The last time California saw gun sales on a scale similar to 2020 was in 2016, another election year, when Californians also bought more than 1.2 million guns. In 2019, Californians bought about 810,000 guns.

Many Californians may have been firsttime gun buyers last year. California Department of Justice data filed in federal court shows about 370,000 people were processed through the state’s Dealer’s Record of Sale background check system for the first time in 2020.

The California Department of Justice data shows that more than 94,000 revolvers, 585,000 semiautomatic pistols, and 317,000 rifles were sold with background checks in California last year.

Experts said the primary drivers of the surge in sales were fears surrounding the coronavirus, the political and social unrest across the country, and the election.

“I think that when people fear that Democrats are going to be elected, more people buy guns … in part because people fear that Democrats will support gun control,” said Adam Winkler, a gun expert and law professor at UCLA.

California’s surge in gun sales last year was not unusual. The U.S. saw a 68% increase in gun sales overall.

What could the longterm implications of the