Don’t Blame Booming Gun Sales For Increases In Crime

Supporters of gun control measures have suggested that 2020’s record sales for firearms also led to an increase in gun-related crimes. New York saw the number of shootings double, while nationally, non-suicide gun deaths reportedly increased about 25 percent, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

As firearms sales increased, which was driven by several factors including the pandemic, violent protests, and even the election of President Joe Biden, some have tried to peg the increased violence on the sale of legally sold firearms.

However, some experts have suggested this is a complete oversimplification of the issue.

“It’s a real challenge to try and disentangle the role of any one single potential cause,” Julia Schleimer of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis told NPR. “It’s particularly challenging during the pandemic.”