1/ We had a paper accepted w @craigjbryan looking at 3,500 US adults and examining who among them were planning to purchase firearms in the 12 months, undecided about purchasing, or planning not to purchase. In addition to this infographic, the thread below describes the findings

2/ Our sample was matched to 2010 US Census data. Around 2/3 of the sample planned not to purchase firearms, with the other 1/3 (over 500 in each group) split fairly evenly between planning to purchase and feeling unsure about their plans.

The first set of findings looked at demographic differences. Which groups were more likely to be planning to purchase (vs undecided or planning not to purchase)? Black adults. Men. Law enforcement. Essential workers. Current firearm owners.

4/ The second set of findings looked at fear-related outcomes. Those planning to purchase reported exaggerated threat perceptions (eg others can’t be trusted), less tolerance of uncertainty, + more COVID-19 concerns (eg contamination fears, economic concerns, xenophobic beliefs)

5/ The final set looked at firearms. Those planning to purchase were more likely to already own firearms (65.3% vs 39.9% of undecided + 23.3% of planning not to purchase) + to have already purchased since March 2020 (26.4% vs 3.5% undecided + 1.7% planning not to purchase).

6/ Interestingly, those planning to purchase had more fear of economic consequences from COVID-19, but did not report lower income. They were also more fearful and skeptical about others, but did not report living in unsafe neighborhoods. The fear seemed more abstract.

7/ So what does this all mean? Planning to purchase during the ongoing purchasing surge may be driven in part by anxiety, some of which stems from current events but some of which is more trait-like. Also, many of those planning to purchase are stockpiling firearms.

8/ This might mean that, for some folks, the act of purchasing firearms bestows a sense of safety that serves to reduce anxiety. When anxiety spikes again, the drive to purchase may return.

9/ Lastly - those planning to purchase were more likely to have had thought of suicide in the past year. I cannot stress enough how dangerous that is. Firearms dramatically increase the likelihood that a suicidal individual will die.