(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) In the wake of the Democrats’ takeover of the government in 2020 millions of Americans became first-time gun owners, the Epoch Times reported.
President Joe Biden and his administration pledged many times during his presidential campaign to make it increasingly difficult for Americans to acquire and keep firearms.
“Whether Congress acts or not I’m going to use all the resources at my disposal to keep people safe from gun violence,” Biden said in a speech last April.
“This is just the start,” he added.
According to the Epoch Times’s report, at least 5.4 million Americans became first time buyers in 2021.
One out of every three gun-buyers was a woman.
Though the 2021 numbers are still extraordinarily high, in 2020 over 8 million people bought firearms for the first time, especially in the wake of the urban rioting and looting that the government encouraged that summer.
Joe Bartozzi, president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, found the news encouraging.
“We welcome these new gun owners to the greater community of law-abiding Americans who choose to own a firearm for lawful purposes, including self-defense, recreational target shooting, and hunting,” he wrote.
Bartozzi also praised the seriousness with which new gun owners pursued training so that they can responsibly use their weapons.
More than 40% of buyers decided to undergo firearm safety and usage training according to the survey.
“The surveys revealed that new gun owners are continuing to embrace their Second Amendment rights and nearly half of them are seeking out professional training,” he wrote.
“These trends show that not only is there still a strong interest in gun ownership but also that these new gun owners are interested in learning more about the safe and responsible handling, use and storage of firearms,” he continued.
In 2020, the most-purchased firearm was a semi-automatic handgun. Data is not yet available for 2021.
