Influx of firearm purchases linked to presidential upcoming election
Pennsylvania firearm background checks also known as Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) have reached a record breaking spike from July 2020 to September 2020 with 406,151 issued background checks thus far, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
“This has been our busiest quarter to date since the PICS system has been implemented in the 1990s,” said Ryan Tarkowski, Communications Director, Pennsylvania State Police.
Do more background checks mean more firearm purchases? The answer is yes and the upcoming presidential election is one of the contributing factors. This according to Pennsylvania State Police Communications Director, Ryan Tarkowski.
“Anytime people think that laws around firearms may be changing or becoming more restrictive and kind of change in leadership in the country or in the state. We'll see uptick in firearms purchases,” said Ryan Tarkowski, Communications Director, Pennsylvania State Police.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there has been a 95% increase in gun sales compared to this time last year. The organization has also reported that nearly 5 million Americans have purchased a firearm for the very first time in 2020.
“Virtually every reason we’ve heard so far is for self-defense because they fear the police will not be able to help them if they need it,” said Bob Mcdowell, Owner of Bob’s Gun Shop and Indoor Shooting Range.
Bob McDowell owns Bob's Gun Shop and Indoor Shooting Range in Mckean, Penn. McDowell said it is hard to keep guns in stock because of the influx in demand.
“We’ve sold at least 80% of our inventory,” said Bob Mcdowell, Owner of Bob’s Gun Shop and Indoor Shooting Range.
State police have also linked this influx in firearm purchases and background checks to the uncertainty tied to the coronavirus pandemic as well as violent protest across the country.