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. 2021 Nov;33(7):593-597.
doi: 10.1080/09540261.2021.1901669. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Gun purchasing behaviours during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, March to mid-July 2020

Cassandra K Crifasi  1 , Julie A Ward  1 , Emma E McGinty  1 , Daniel W Webster  1 , Colleen L Barry  1
Affiliations

Gun purchasing behaviours during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, March to mid-July 2020

Cassandra K Crifasi et al. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

We sought to characterize gun and ammunition purchasing during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. We fielded a survey using NORC's Amerispeak Panel between 7 and 22 July 2020 (survey completion rate = 91.1%, N = 1337). We used survey-weighted data to calculate the proportion of adults who purchased a gun during this time period and types of guns and amount of ammunition purchased. Between March and mid-July 2020, 6% of adults purchased a gun and 9% bought ammunition. Of those purchasing a gun, 34% were first-time purchasers. Among those purchasing ammunition, 19% reported purchasing more than usual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while 27% purchased less than usual. An estimated 6,451,163 adults bought guns for the first time between March and mid-July 2020. Increases in gun purchasing, particularly among first-time gun owners, could pose significant short- and long-term implications for public health.

Keywords: COVID-19; firearms; public opinion.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Gun and Ammunition Purchasing Behaviours from March to mid-July 2020 among U.S. adults (N = 1337). 1We calculated first-time gun purchasers (n = 26) from the subset of respondents who reported purchasing a gun between March and mid-July 2020 (n = 77) who had not previously owned a gun. 2We calculated the types of guns purchased among respondents who reported purchasing a gun between March and mid-July 2020 (n = 77) by asking them to ‘Select All that Apply’ to each gun type. Total will sum to more than 100. 3We calculated the amount of ammunition purchased among respondents who reported purchasing any amount of ammunition (n = 127) between March and mid-July 2020.
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