Skyrocketing gun sales over the past few months didn’t ebb one iota in July, which was one of the strongest for gun purchases ever recorded.

“Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) estimates July 2020 U.S. firearms unit sales at 2.0 million units, a year-over-year increase of 134.6% from July 2019,” the group said in a statement. “Likely single handgun sales (1.2 million) increased year-over-year by 152.0% whereas single long-gun sales (0.6 million) increased year-over-year by 108.2%. All other likely background check-related sales (0.16 million) increased year-over-year by 125.3%.”

“[T]he firearms market continues at its far accelerated pace. Our estimates suggest that the market for the first seven months of 2020 now has nearly matched that of the entire year of 2019,” said SAAF Chief Economist Jurgen Brauer.

Gun sales were not the only thing to soar. “In July 2020, the FBI conducted more than 3.6 million firearm background checks, making it the third highest month on record for checks since the bureau began keeping statistics in 1998, according to new data released Monday by the bureau. By comparison, the FBI conducted just over 2 million checks in July 2019,” CNN reported.

July’s numbers continue an explosion in gun purchases that has gone on for months, amid lockdowns for COVID-19 and race riots that began after the May 25 death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Gun sales soared in June, with 2,387,524 weapons sold, a year-over-year increase of 145.3% from June 2019, SAAF reported.

“Likely single handgun sales (1,511,714) increased year-over-year by 177.5% whereas single long-gun sales (690,212) increased year-over-year by 114.3%. All other likely background check-related sales (185,599) increased year-over-year by 74.0%. This includes so-called ‘multiple’ sales where the allocation between handguns and long-guns cannot be determined from the data record,” the private firm reported.

“The new coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing movement to defund police are bringing in new buyers worried about their personal safety, according to buyers, store owners and gun experts,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “In June, background checks for firearms were up 136%, compared to a year earlier … background checks in June for civilians seeking a license to carry were the highest since the FBI began conducting checks 20 years ago.”

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