The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence suggests that gun sales pose a greater long-term risk to Americans’ health than does the coronavirus.
Newsweek reported that Brady Campaign President Kris Brown spoke to the surge in first-time gun buyers witnessed during March 2020, warning of the danger she believes now exists because of guns being in many homes for the first time. She lamented that those guns will be in homes long after the coronavirus passes: “We will get a vaccine, we will get immunization for this [virus] in the longer term but there is no immunization for that gun that is now sitting in that person’s home.”
Brown went so far as to address people who are contemplating buying a first gun but have not yet done so, asking them to commit to storing the gun in a certain way or else forgoing the purchase altogether: “We are very concerned, especially with people feeling isolated and job loss being an issue. The suicide risk is very real, and the only antidote to any of those things is to make sure you are safely storing the gun or to reconsider the purchase.”
On April 1, 2020, Breitbart News reported that Michael Bloomberg-affiliated gun control groups Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety urged governors around the country to “ignore” the Trump administration guidelines labeling gun stores “essential” businesses.
“It’s shameful and nonsensical that the Trump administration has decided to put gun dealers and manufacturers on the same level as police, first responders, hospital workers, and other Americans who are risking everything to save lives during this pandemic,” Everytown’s John Feinblatt said. “Governors should feel free to ignore this irresponsible advisory and do what’s best for their residents.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.