New York State and the Nation: Trends in Firearm Purchases and Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background The impacts of social stressors on violence during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are unknown. We hypothesized that firearm purchases and violence would increase surrounding the pandemic. This study determined the impact of COVID-19 and shelter-in-place (SIP) orders on firearm purchases and incidents in the United States (US) and New York State (NYS). Methods Scatterplots reflected trends in firearm purchases, incidents, and deaths over a 16-month period (January 2019 to April 2020). Bivariate comparisons of SIP and non-SIP jurisdictions before and after SIP (February 2020 vs. April 2020) and April 2020 vs. April 2019 were performed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results The incidence of COVID-19 in the US increased between February and April 2020 from 24 to 1 067 660 and in NYS from 0 to 304 372. When comparing February to March to April in the US, firearm purchases increased 33.6% then decreased 22.0%, whereas firearm incidents increased 12.2% then again increased by 3.6% and firearm deaths increased 23.8% then decreased in April by 3.8%. In NYS, comparing February to March to April 2020, firearm purchases increased 87.6% then decreased 54.8%, firearm incidents increased 110.1% then decreased 30.8%, and firearm deaths increased 57.1% then again increased by 6.1%. In both SIP and non-SIP jurisdictions, April 2020 firearm purchases, incidents, deaths, and injuries were similar to April 2019 and February 2020 (all P = NS). Discussion Coronavirus disease 2019–related stressors may have triggered an increase in firearm purchases nationally and within NYS in March 2020. Firearm incidents also increased in NYS. SIP orders had no effect on firearm purchases and firearm violence.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated rise in pediatric firearm injuries: A multi-institutional study

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A Dual Pandemic: The Influence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Trends and Types of Firearm Violence in California, Ohio, and the United States

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The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on community violence in Connecticut

“… 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 In tandem with this, the US population saw an increase in access to guns following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as gun sales surged with an estimated increase of 2.1 million gun purchases from March through May 2020 (as compared with previous years). 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 In times of emergency and uncertainty, sales of guns in the US historically increase. 52 Even with nationwide stay-at-home orders, the majority of states included gun retailers as essential businesses and therefore gun sales continued.…”