Despite Massacres, More and More Americans Seek Guns

The number of guns sold in America has increased in the midst of the most tragic mass shooting, this time in an elementary school.

Arms producers and suppliers are rubbing their hands. The past year showed a record number of sales. December was the busiest month in 2012. It was also the most tragic one.

On December 14, a 20-year-old boy armed with four guns — one of them a machine gun — entered an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children and six adults.

Experts suggest several reasons for the high interest in guns in December. First, people are stocking up on guns because they are afraid that gun ownership rights will be tightened. The debate on this topic has not been this heated in a while; this time, it will likely not be in vain. Barack Obama has already announced changes that will limit access to semi-automatic weapons. Second, Americans who have previously avoided guns are now preparing themselves for self-defense, due to fear caused by the recent spate of high-profile shootings. Third, guns were purchased and given as Christmas gifts.

Reuters cited new FBI data in an article on the spike in gun interest. There is no mention of the number of guns Americans purchased; the FBI does not collect such statistics. However, the number of background check applications submitted by Americans, which the FBI does have record of, offers a way to measure the interest in guns. Last year, there were 19.6 million Americans who applied for background checks, nearly 20 percent more than in 2011. In December 2011, 2.78 million application forms were submitted, 49 percent more than in December 2010.

Apparently, there is also a great interest in Bushmaster rifles, the same weapon Adam Lanza used when killing children in Newtown.