Gun sales in California are on pace to break records — perhaps even to reach 1 million sales by the end of calendar year 2016, according to Southern California Public Radio station KPCC.
There were 554,203 guns sold “through late July,” which puts last year’s annual sales figure of approximately 890,000 well within reach.
According to KPCC, the two biggest days for gun sales in California have been July 1 — the day Governor Jerry Brown signed six new gun controls — and July 2. The California Department of Justice’s Dealer Record of Sales reported “5,907 sales” on July 1 — with “61 sales … still pending” — and 5,612 sales on July 2.
The remainder of the top ten days of sales through late July all revolved around terror attacks and high-profile shootings. For example, the third and fourth highest days for sales came on July 7 and 8 — an apparent reaction to the July 7 attack on Dallas police officers. Another day of record sales occurred immediately after the June 12 terror attack on the Pulse Orlando night club.
The commonality in these sales is a fear of more gun control. Thus Brown’s signature on bills that will go into effect on a future date drove up sales, and terror attacks — regularly cited by Democrat lawmakers as a justification for gun control–also drove up sales.
UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler told KPCC: “The reason why we’re seeing another spike in gun sales is fear of gun control. One of the ironies of gun control is that when reform is proposed, many people go out and purchase guns thinking that those guns may soon be banned.”
Winkler believes the additional gun controls being pushed by Lt. Gavin Newsom “will keep gun control in the public eye through November,” thereby continuing to drive gun sales throughout the state.
If Winkler is correct, the record of 1 million gun sales is within reach.
Breitbart News previously reported that California already has so much gun control that 24/7 Wall St. ranked it the most difficult state for law-abiding citizens to acquire a firearm.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.