Violent crime involving the use of firearms is up substantially in 2021 following an increase in 2020, according to some reports. And it’s interesting to see those on the anti-gun side of the 2A debate scratch their heads and wonder why it’s happening.

Violent Crime on the Rise

A CNN report quoting figures from the Gun Violence Archive claims 2021 is “on pace to be the worst year in decades.” We know the Gun Violence Archive uses misleading definitions to bolster its anti-gun stance. But murders and violent assaults number higher than usual, both last year and through the first half of this year.

Of course, gun-ban advocates like to point to an increase in gun sales as the problem. And, in fact, gun sales did explode last year with record numbers nearly every month, and they are very strong again this year. In addition, 8.6 million Americans bought a firearm for the first time last year, with another 3.1 million in the first half of 2021.

Interestingly, a couple of anti-gun researchers, setting out to prove increased sales caused the violent crime uptick, found just the opposite. The interesting study focused on what researchers from the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis, called “excess” firearm purchases. The negative term described the last 18 months of record gun sales.

Trying to Connect the Dots

“Nationwide, firearm purchasing and firearm violence increased substantially during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic,” wrote the authors of the study, titled “Firearm purchasing and firearm violence during the coronavirus pandemic in the United States: A cross-sectional study”and published in the journal Injury Epidemiology. “At the state level, the magnitude of the increase in purchasing was not associated with the magnitude of the increase in firearm violence. Increases in purchasing may have contributed to additional firearm injuries from domestic violence in April and May. Results suggest much of the rise in firearm violence during our study period was attributable to other factors, indicating a need for additional research.”

Fact is, high gun sales aren’t causing higher violence rates. Rather, increased gun sales are at least partially the result of runaway violent crime. When people find themselves in danger, they want to do whatever they can to protect themselves and their families. Last year, along with the first half of this year, proved very dangerous for many Americans, for a number of reasons. Remember, Democrat politicians showed to coddle criminals rather than arrest, convict and punish them.

Widespread riots that occurred across the country early last year right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic could have been nipped at the bud if big-city mayors had done their jobs and had police crack down on the unprecedented violence. And make no mistake, many of these displays were really riots, not the “peaceful protests” some in the media described them as. After police were ordered to stand down and allow violence to continue unchecked, criminals were emboldened. And they remain emboldened today because of that lack of enforcement by gutless politicians worried more about reelection than protecting citizens.

Defund Police a Tipping Point?

One of the central focuses of the protests and riots involved an effort to “Defund Police.” While a handful of cities actually did cut funds, many others simply rearranged their workforces to make the job of catching violent criminals more difficult than ever. Other departments limited officers’ ability to actually do police work to the extent that many quit or retired. The resulting fewer police visible in tough neighborhoods further emboldened criminals and led to more increases in violence.

Add widespread unemployment because of the Covid pandemic and subsequent government shutdowns of private businesses large and small, and it’s likely that some violent criminals are actually plying their trade out of necessity. That factor is likely to get worse, with President Joe Biden’s recent declarations on who must have a Covid vaccine to continue working at their job. Of course, when that causes violence to go up even further, Biden and his cronies will be the first to blame guns and gun owners.

In the end, so-called “mainstream” media who can’t figure out what is causing the runaway violence can look no further than their favorite Democrat politician. And, as long as violence continues to rise, America will continue to see high gun sales—and more and more first-time gun owners dead set on protecting those they love.