2020 U.S. Gun Sales Up By 10 Million
Lots of businesses have been suffering during this horrendous pandemic. A few, however, have actually flourished. Take Walmart, for example. According to Statista, the retail giant pulled down roughly 9 and a half billion more dollars in 2020 ($519.93 billion) than they did in 2019 ($510.33 billion).
Gun sales have gone through the roof as well. The latest report from The Texan puts the number of new, legally sold guns purchased last year in this country 10 million higher than 2019. If you've had a hard time finding ammunition lately - this is why! There are millions of new shooters in the country snatching up pretty much every caliber there is! Don't believe me? Call up any gun shop in Shreveport or Bossier City and ask if they have 4 boxes of any cartridges you can think of and wait for the hearty laugh.
According to the report, the number of new background checks (necessary for legally purchasing a new firearm) rose from 28.4 million in 2019 to a whopping 39.7 million in 2020. According to the American Rifleman, the official numbers put those guns into the hands of 6.2 million new shooters in this country - with the largest increases from both "women and people of color."
As far as when the ability of the ammo manufacturing companies will be able to catch up to the surge in demand - most reports point to the end of summer 2021 at the earliest.