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Gun sales in Illinois are skyrocketing in the midst of several major events including the coronavirus pandemic, protests, the killing of George Floyd and the presidential election, according to one report.
Within the first two weeks of June, more than 42,000 people in Illinois applied for a gun permit, the Chicago Tribune reported on Thursday, citing data from the Illinois State Police.
On just one day in June, applications reached almost 5,000.
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According to the newspaper, only about 7,000 people applied for gun permits during the same time last year.
Meanwhile, over the course of December, January and February, there were a total of 48,194 gun permit applications.
According to the Chicago Tribune, more than 40,000 people applied for gun permits in Illinois in the first two weeks of June. (iStock)
According to the newspaper, the Illinois State Police’s firearms services bureau handles background checks for licensed gun dealers and issues gun licenses and firearm identification cards.
A spokesperson for the state police told the Tribune that gun permit applications started rising in March, but skyrocketed in June.
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According to the Tribune, some of the people applying for permits are first-time gun owners who may have supported gun control in the past, but who are now buying guns to protect themselves.
One anonymous source told the newspaper that though he is “a very liberal Democrat,” his view on gun laws have changed. He reportedly applied for his first gun permit in March.
“The recent social unrest of a divisive president, the pandemic and dramatic rise in unemployment, and the more recent social unrest because of the way we police in this country have all been reasons that have prompted my recent application," he reportedly told the Tribune.
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