Pandemic, protests, politics driving US gun sales

Huge increase in the number of people that are first-time gun owners

Last updated:
2 MIN READ
1/11
Students fire AR-15 semi-automatic rifles during a shooting course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson, Mississippi. From the countryside to the cities, Americans are engaged in a frenzy of gun-buying fueled by the pandemic, protests and politics.
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A student fires a hand gun during a shooting course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Chad Winkler, general manager of the Boondocks Firearms Academy teaches a student during a hand gun shooting course. "We've seen a huge increase in the number of people that are first-time gun owners and also first-time class attendees," Winkler said. "We've seen a big increase in that, probably, you know, a 50 to 60 percent increase in normal classes." "At this point they're just so many new gun buyers that the manufacturers are really having a hard time keeping up with that," Winkler said. Prices have soared because of the demand. One of Winkler's customers said he just bought a semi-automatic rifle for $800 which usually costs $499.
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Alycia Brewer looks on as she attends an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle shooting course. Alycia Brewer and her husband have purchased AR15 semi-automatic rifles for "personal protection" and are taking the course at the Boondocks Academy. "Most Americans should be concerned," Brewer said. "Because we want to keep our rights, our Second Amendment rights, because that's what our country was founded on."
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President Donald Trump has sought to blame the violence on the "radical left," and claims that only his reelection on November 3 can reestablish "law and order." Above, an instructor (C) teaches hand gun shooting course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson.
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In New York City, where firearm laws are stricter than in Mississippi, there is a long wait for gun licenses. John DeLoca, the owner of Seneca Sporting Range in Queens, said applications for gun licenses in New York City used to have to be processed in six months. "Now they're backlogged a good 14 months," DeLoca said.
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Harriet Hurley loads bullets into the magazine of AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
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An instructor (R) teaches handling of AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.
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Empty bullet shells are seen on the ground of Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.
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An instructor (3rd R) teaches an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle course at Boondocks Firearms Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.
11/11
A student places AR-15 semi-automatic rifles in a safe area during a shooting course.

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