A recent survey suggests even Democrats are buying guns to protect themselves. The survey from the Epoch Times found more than one in nine Democrats — about 12% — bought a firearm in the past three months. In comparison, about 19% of Republicans said they’ve bought a gun in the same timeframe. The Epoch Times notes the gun-buying trend “was particularly strong in the 18–29 age group (more than 22%) and among black people (21%), union members (nearly 32%), urbanites (more than 19%) and those earning more than $200,000 (19%).” This comes in a year when firearm sales are skyrocketing. The FBI conducts background checks for those purchasing firearms. It has tracked the statistics on these background checks since 1998. On multiple occasions this year, the FBI has reported record-high numbers of background checks. According to the Washington Times, gun sales from March–July rose 94% over the same period in 2019. Roughly 40% of those sales were to first-time gun owners. Among African-Americans, gun ownership rose by 58% — the largest increase for any demographic group. March 2020 — the month when most states began their coronavirus lockdown orders — set the all-time record for monthly firearm background checks, with 3.7 million.  [full article]