The National Rifle Association (NRA) has taken their morally repugnant disregard for the safety of our communities to a whole new level by using the COVID-19 pandemic to fuel the sale of guns.
Their latest video shows a woman in a wheel chair holding an AR-15 with a 30-round magazine. She is both a survivor of cancer and domestic violence. She warns viewers, with an apocalyptic flair, of the impending violent societal collapse of our country. She argues that the only way you can possibly survive this complete breakdown of society is by arming yourself with an assault weapon.
Tragically, their tactic worked. Gun sales have surged and the boost that the NRA was waiting for finally arrived on the coattails of the COVID-19 pandemic (sales of firearms have plummeted over the past several years). Americans bought about 2 million guns in March. It was the second busiest month for guns sales on record.
Guns in your home will not make you safer. The immediate and long-term effect of this spike in gun sales on our safety will be felt for years to come. History has shown us that more guns means more deaths. Suicide, domestic violence, youth fatalities due to guns unsafely stored, and community violence will all increase.
This, combined with a spike in unemployment, food insecurity and poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, puts our communities in danger of more gun violence.
Miranda Viscoli
Santa Fe
Rev. Harry Eberts and Miranda Viscoli are co-presidents of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence