For those who follow Second Amendment issues closely, the fact that The New York Times published a relatively positive front-page article on Monday (Feb. 17) about the changing face of gun ownership came as a bit of a shock. The Gray Lady’s story asserted more people on the left are buying guns, and it strongly inferred the underlying cause is because Donald Trump is president.
The Times chose five subjects to amplify its premise: a transgender (male to female), a Latina woman, an Asian man, a Jewish male, and a black Latino male who had a political rebirth from progressive to conservative. The article claimed a “common thread” among these new gun owners: “[N]ew fears about political violence and hate crimes, and a diminished trust in law enforcement.”
The five people the NYT featured may have bought firearms for self-protection, but this is nothing new. The Times’ primary source is a Harvard study conducted between 2019 and 2021. These were the pandemic years when both Presidents Trump and Joe Biden served as commanders-in-chief. Different demographic groups weren’t lining up in droves because of Trump – they were purchasing guns because they were fearful and felt a need to protect themselves and their families.
The Gun Odyssey
Liberty Nation covered the “gun buying frenzy” at the time and found, “The highest overall firearm sales increase comes from Black men and women who show a 58.2 percent increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year,” according to The Firearm Industry Trade Association (NSSF).
If we were to follow The Times's logic, we would have to assume blacks buying guns in record numbers in 2020 was because they feared President Trump. However, study after study reveals the reason the number of first-time buyers exploded between 2020 and 2024 was due to the pandemic. The NSSF estimated that 26.2 million firearms were sold to first-time buyers:
“That’s right – approximately 26.2 million law-abiding Americans, from all different races, genders, backgrounds, religions and ethnicities, went to their local firearm retailer and bought a gun for the first time between 2020 and today [Jan. 13, 2025].”
However, the big picture – that is, overall gun sales – provides another vital statistic that should be factored in. USACarry.com numbers show that, overall, gun purchases have dwindled year after year from a high of 20.8 million in 2020 to 16.7 million in 2023. According to The Trace website, “The downturn is likely to continue under President Donald Trump. Gun sales tend to fall when a Republican occupies the White House, as the specter of stricter gun control measures subsides. Gun sales fell 17 percent during the first three years of Trump’s first term.”
In November 2024, Gallup noted that “gun ownership rates spiked among Republican women.” Gallup found a 14% increase in gun sales within this demographic between 2007 and 2024. The truth of the matter is that there has been an uptick in gun sales among broadening demographic groups for a while now – it didn’t just begin with Trump’s second term.
People buy firearms for many reasons: They are fearful of a person or persons, they live in a high crime area, or perhaps they enjoy hunting or target shooting. Statistics have shown that when Americans elect leaders who support the Second Amendment, gun sales go down, and when those who are not supportive of 2A take office – President Barack Obama, for instance – sales rise. There is nothing to suggest that these trends will change during Trump’s second term.
As it is often said: Two things can be true at the same time. That the landscape of gun ownership is changing is a fact. However, there is no evidence thus far that shows the surge in gun purchases among minority demographic groups is because of the Trump presidency.
