Gun Sales in California Increase After Mass Shootings

A new study out of Stanford University found that gun sales in California increased dramatically after mass shootings.

Researchers examined two mass shootings over the last decade, Sandy Hook (2012) and San Bernardino (2015).

They found that the Democratic haven of anti-gun vitriol that is California actually recognizes the importance of Second Amendment rights after high profile shootings.

Check out the revealing data below:

Clearly, handgun sales spiked immediately after the two mass shootings (especially among first-time buyers).

Also, the spike in 2014 is speculated to be due to a new gun law passed in California around that time. The graph also shows that gun sales in California have increased overall in the last decade by a factor of 3.

The researchers go on to say:

In the 6 weeks after the Newtown and San Bernardino shootings, there were 25 705 (95% prediction interval, 17 411 to 32 788) and 27 413 (prediction interval, 15 188 to 37 734) excess acquisitions, respectively, representing increases of 53% (95% CI, 30% to 80%) and 41% (CI, 19% to 68%) over expected volume.

So, even though California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, this did not stop many worried citizens from purchasing means of protecting themselves in reaction to these mass shootings.

The people get it, why doesn’t their government?

In California, Gun Sales Skyrocketed Over The Last 10 years

The data from Stanford University also shows that gun sales in California have been increasing for the last decade.

The researchers found:

A total of 2 918 747 handguns were acquired in California between 1 January 2007 and 25 February 2016, at an average of 6132 per week. Volume tripled over this decade, from an average of 3315 acquisitions per week in the first year of the period to an average of 9268 per week in the last year.