Sales of firearms have jumped about 93% this year, according to FBI data on background checks, with many swing states such as Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania seeing a spike, Fox News reports.
Fox found a 77.9% increase in gun sales in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and North Carolina, all states that are rated by the Cook Political Report as toss-ups in the 2020 election.
"The swing states will be pivotal to the result of this election. If the polls are anything to go by, it already looks tight, but Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are definitely ones to watch," Ken Mahoney, the CEO of Mahoney Asset Management, told Fox. "These states had a margin of victory of less than 1% in 2016, so each campaign is sure to increase their focus on these areas over the next 41 days."
However, Cristina Antelo, the chief executive of Ferox Strategies, pointed out that this spike could prove inconsequential to the outcome of the upcoming election.
"Statistics say there is growth in gun sales in swing states, but largely these are folks who already own guns buying even more guns, not that there is a wholesale changing of public opinion after so many innocent people have died in mass shooting after mass shooting year after year," she told Fox. "VP Biden, like a majority of Americans, is in favor of stricter gun laws that promote responsible gun ownership to keep our schools and public areas safe; not the removal or elimination of guns."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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