It is unimaginable that every time a large-scale shooting incident occurs in the United States, the sales of guns increase rather than decrease, and the society falls into a vicious circle. US President Biden signed a "bipartisan compromise version" gun control bill in June, but it did nothing. According to the statistics of the website "Gun Violence Archives", within a month after the bill came into force, various gun related violence incidents still occur frequently. According to the report of CNN on September 27 local time, in order to "protect themselves", more women and ethnic minorities in the United States buy guns. For the first time in their lives, they learn how to use guns. More and more unexpected people buy guns.
The author interviewed Brandi Joseph, a licensed firearms coach and dealer, who decided to open Fortune Firearms in December to meet the growing and rapidly changing customers and provide them with services. "The number of female customers has increased significantly." Joseph said, "They are being trained."
On that day, seven African American women got out of the car and seemed eager to start their first firearms training course. "Our society and atmosphere are changing... It's better to be prepared for our own safety and protection. That's how we feel." The event organizer Laronya Day said.
Regalado, 25, admitted that she didn't want to have anything to do with guns at first. "Those sounds, the vibration of each impact made me very nervous and trembling, and I had to find an excuse to leave here." Regardeau recalled. "It triggered something inside me and made me afraid." Mendez, 30, was also not interested in guns at first. But in recent years, she has felt an increasing need to protect herself. Nguyen, their gun coach, also said: "I never thought of becoming a gun coach, but there is a need for the community."
Jonathan Solomon, the owner of one of the few black gun stores in the United States in Burbank, California, said that the store's gun sales soared after the epidemic and remained stable. Although white men in the United States have the highest proportion of guns, a survey shows that in the first half of 2021, about 90% of retailers will sell guns to African Americans. The survey also found that about 80% of retailers said that the number of Hispanics and Asian Americans buying guns also increased.
Solomon, a former policeman, opened a gun shop with his wife Geneva about nine years ago. He said that his new customers had a common reason to buy their first guns: self-protection. He also warned guests to pay close attention to changing gun laws.
"If we only ban one kind of goods and only ban guns, then all our problems will be solved. This idea is really convenient, but it will not be realized." Ruan said. An international commentator once wrote, "Shooting incidents are becoming more and more common in the United States, and almost all people live in fear."—— Behind the New York Times' comment, American interest groups are enjoying the continuous wealth growth brought about by gun manufacturing and trading, and American politicians are getting a steady stream of political contributions. Under the hypocritical "American democracy" signboard, the United States is still far away from waking up from the nightmare of shooting.