Gun Control Controversy Increases Sales

One of the primary issues facing presidential candidates today is their stance on the Second Amendment in relation to the rising threat of gun violence in the United States.  

The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Much of the American populace worries that their rights might be affected by ever-increasing violence and that compels government officials to  restrict guns even further to try and keep them out of the hands of “bad guys.”

As Americans see this threat to their rights, more and more people have started to invest in personal protection, with firearm sales increasing dramatically over the past few years. The increase of gun sales reached a pinnacle on Black Friday of 2015, with that day holding the record of most guns sold and background checks performed in a single day. Even with this record standing, 2016 has seen a record spike of sales, with an increase of 40%.

As gun sales have increased, so too has violence has increased across America. Murders are up nearly 11%  since last year, according to FBI criminal reports. Chicago has once again topped the record books for most murders in a single year, continuing the infamous streak. The blood count has risen over last year’s by over a hundred murders, showing that, in 2016 to date, there have been 649 gun=related homicides already.

Gun violence and the threat of violence is right in Fleetwood’s backyard. Reading has experienced a hike in violent crimes in the past couple years, with crime rates averaging in the hundreds of points over the U.S average. Gun safety is not just something for other people to think about; it’s something that everyone has to keep in the back of his or her head.