by Damjan Tutarkov
LaCorte News
A new study on the increase of gun purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the majority of respondents who said they’ve bought a firearm during the outbreak worked in the healthcare industry.
The study, conducted by New Mexico State University and the University of Toledo, questioned 1,432 respondents ages 18 to 85 and found that 18 percent, or 243 people, bought a gun during the pandemic.
Sixty-seven percent of those who bought a gun said they were medical workers, according to the study.
Those who bought a firearm cited various reasons for their purchase including for protection, as a gift for themselves or someone else, and because they believed guns would be more difficult to come by in the future.