Gun purchasing behaviours during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, March to mid-July 2020

Abstract

We sought to characterize gun and ammunition purchasing during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. We fielded a survey using NORC’s Amerispeak Panel between 7 and 22 July 2020 (survey completion rate = 91.1%, N = 1337). We used survey-weighted data to calculate the proportion of adults who purchased a gun during this time period and types of guns and amount of ammunition purchased. Between March and mid-July 2020, 6% of adults purchased a gun and 9% bought ammunition. Of those purchasing a gun, 34% were first-time purchasers. Among those purchasing ammunition, 19% reported purchasing more than usual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while 27% purchased less than usual. An estimated 6,451,163 adults bought guns for the first time between March and mid-July 2020. Increases in gun purchasing, particularly among first-time gun owners, could pose significant short- and long-term implications for public health.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• firearms
• public opinion

Disclosure statement

CKC, EEM, DWW and CLB contributed to the study conceptions and design. JAW conducted data analysis. All authors contributed to the interpretation of data and drafting and revising of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final submission.

Data availability statement

Data from this survey are being analysed and are not currently available to access.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for survey data collection comes from the Smart Family Foundation, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins University Alliance for a Healthier World's 2020 COVID-19 Launchpad Grant, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Julie Ward gratefully acknowledges support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [T32-HD 094687]. Funders had no role in the study design, statistical analysis, interpretation of the data, or drafting of this article.