Pennsylvanians are buying guns in record numbers, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Sales have risen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, data from the state’s Instant Check System indicates. The background checking system, which reviews all firearm purchases to ensure a gun purchaser is legally permitted to carry a gun, recorded a dramatic increase, authorities reported.
According to the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), there was a 45 percent rise between 2019 and 2020. Last year, 217,444 background checks were performed. This year, that number reached 314,319.
During the third quarter of 2020, the PICS system recorded its highest number of background checks in its more than two decades of operation, according to state Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-19). Dinniman recently introduced legislation that would require gun-buyers to receive much of the same education and training as hunters do, including suicide prevention information.
During July, August and September, Pennsylvania State Police said, the number of background checks almost doubled from the same quarter in 2019.
Dinniman, 76, is not running for re-election, but said he wanted to bring Senate Bill 1255 to the floor to promote gun safety.
Among the requirements included in the proposed law:
1. A test on the legal aspects of firearm possession.
2. Understanding safe storage and accident prevention.
3. Preventing road-rage incidents and safe interaction with law enforcement when carrying a concealed weapon.
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