Hoosiers Purchased More Than 42K Guns In November

By Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle

December 21, 2022

Hoosiers purchased an estimated 42,305 guns in November, a 1% decline from the year before but an increase from October. As a nation, Americans bought an estimated 1.36 million guns last month, also a 1% decline from the year before.

The majority of guns purchased by both Americans and Hoosiers were handguns, at 61% and 64%, respectively, according to an analysis from The Trace, which exclusively reports on guns and gun violence nationwide.

The reported number is likely an undercount, since the data derives from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which the Federal Bureau of Investigations oversees. Some buyers purchased multiple guns, which the analysis accounts for, but an estimated 13% of sales occur between private individuals, bypassing the NICS.

Traditionally, firearm purchases spike following mass shootings and elections: such as the massacre of children in Sandy Hook a decade ago or the election of President Barack Obama.
But the Trace’s analysis reported that those spikes paled in comparison to the surge in gun purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting in March of 2020.

Since then, gun purchasing has increased again following the racial justice protests – the vast majority of which were peaceful – over the summer of 2020 and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington D.C.

Indiana, which had racial justice protests around the state, saw firearm purchases jump sharply during that summer, peaking at 76,163 guns sold in June 2020. Of those, over 51,000 — more than two-thirds of the guns bought — were handguns.

But the highest-recorded month for purchasing firearms came in the weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection, when Hoosiers purchased an estimated 78,971 guns that month. In contrast to the summer protests, purchases were more evenly split between handguns and long guns, with a 60-40 split.

If you or a loved one are considering suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Hotline at 988 or text IN to 741741 for free, 24/7 counseling.

For more suicide prevention resources, including hotlines for the LGBTQ community, youth and veterans, please visit Indiana Suicide Prevention.

Among other advanced countries, the United States has the highest rate of violent gun deaths – including suicides – and most mass shootings, primarily due to its permissive gun laws and high rates of gun ownership. Worldwide, the U.S. has the 32nd-highest rate of deaths from gun violence, with 3.96 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.

Following back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Indiana Sen. Todd Young supported. The bill expands mental health funding and requires a background check for buyers under 21.

As of December 20, the Gun Violence Archive has counted 42,862 gun violence deaths, the majority of which were suicides. In just the last two months, 70 Hoosiers died across 67 shootings.
The three deadliest mass shootings in Indiana all occurred within the last two years: including a mass shooting on the northside of Indianapolis in January 2021 that killed five; a Fedex facility shooting in Indianapolis that killed eight; and a shooting at a Greenwood mall that killed four this summer.

Though the Fedex deaths occurred during the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers opted not to take action – though the debate about the role of the state’s red flag law continues to be scrutinized.

The following year, the legislature eliminated handgun permitting requirements over the concerns of law enforcement officers.

Gun purchases jumped slightly in July, when the law took effect, up to 48,210 as compared to the 44,865 firearms bought the month before and 43,922 purchases in July 2021. In the following month, purchases fell again to 44,523.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.