Guns in a Time of Covid

Gun sales surge, so does gun violence

Gun sales surged everywhere in the nation upon the recognition of the pandemic, and Colorado was no exception.  Between March and October 2020, Colorado saw a 61% increase in gun sales over the same period a year before, with more than 350,000 background checks conducted by Colorado Bureau of Investigations (218,000 in 2019)

Gun homicides in Colorado are also dramatically up.  As of December 29th, 2020, 234 persons have died from gun homicides, up from 164 in 2019 – a 43% increase.  

Typically, suicides comprise around 70-75% of gun deaths in Colorado, but 2020 data on suicides won’t be available until well into 2021.  

In the last days of 2020: 

• A teenager was shot and killed at an Aurora restaurant after a brawl broke out over customer complaints of cold food.  The teen was trying to assist someone who had been injured in the fray. 
  
  
• A road rage incident on I70 luckily had no victims.  A truck driver started shooting his shotgun after a collision precipitated by another driver doing donuts on the interstate. 
  
  
• A toddler is in critical condition after a shooting erupted when a driver emerged from SW Denver store to find someone taking a picture of his car, which was parked in a handicapped spot.
• A homeowner in NE Denver was shot and killed during a burglary.  His partner was also shot and is in critical condition.  One of the burglars, who was attempting a car-jacking, was shot and killed by police.