By Greg Marchetto
The COVID-19 pandemic confirmed many citizens’ great fear: politicians will seize power when the opportunity arises. From sweeping shutdown orders to private gatherings that defied their own rules, politicians didn’t do much to gain the confidence of the American people.
As a result of this mistrust, gun sales in the United States skyrocketed during the pandemic. In March last year, over a million background checks were undertaken per week, a record that has never been reached before.
Democrats were quick to cast concern over the response to government mistrust by pushing gun control legislation through Congress and state legislatures. After all, the increased gun violence must be due to an increase in gun ownership, right?
A study done by UC Davis confirmed the opposite. States with increased levels of gun ownership showed no correlation with an increase in gun violence. In fact, an increase in ownership showed a negative correlation with firearm injury from non-domestic violence. This may be due to the fact that most of the excess firearms purchases during this period were made by previous gun owners, who are already extensively documented by the FBI and trained in gun safety.
This study means other factors are likely at play that explain the increase in gun violence. Depression and anxiety dramatically increased during lockdown, perhaps influencing decisions that would normally not occur. Additionally, violence encouraged by Democrats during last summer’s BLM riots led to deadly encounters with police officers, including David Dorn who was brutally shot in the head.
Instead of arguing with inflamed rhetoric, Democrats should focus on real issues. Getting back to work, school, and normal life can have a dramatic impact on saving lives.
