Gun sales spiked last month as fears around the coronavirus pandemic rose. A veteran ATF special agent told Cheddar that new gun owners need to make sure they know how to store and use those firearms safely.
“I understand the fear, I understand the concern. I have it myself,” he said. “But we don't want to make rash decisions that place ourselves, our neighbors and our families more at risk than actually keeping them safe.
The FBI ran more than 3.7 million background checks last month amid the influx of firearms purchases, although the agency notes that there is not necessarily a direct correlation between the number of checks conducted and the number of sales.
David Chipman, Senior Policy Advisor at the Giffords organization said hopelessness, anxiety and fear might cause people to try to use firearms to control some aspect of their lives as they are inundated with concerning news about COVID-19, “but there are risks to that choice.”
“They might think that they’re die-hard, ready to go, but unfortunately they’re more like Tiger King and they’re putting themselves and their family in danger,” he said, referencing the popular new Netflix series and its central figure’s love of guns. Particularly without proper gun training, Chipman worries new gun owners are putting people at risk. Unintentional shootings makeup 1.3 percent of gun deaths and 18 percent of gun injuries.
He suggested first-time gun owners secure unloaded firearms. “Hide it behind the cans of tuna and beef jerky that you’ve stored in the cabinet,” he said.
“I’m much more concerned about these guns being stored safely in homes now and not unintendedly putting families at risk or the gun buyer themselves at risk,” he said.
Chipman said he’s concerned about an increase in domestic violence cases and the possibility of a gun becoming part of that equation. Experts have warned quarantine may lead to more domestic violence incidents sprung from anxiety, loss of jobs and more time at home.
“Now that you put a gun in the middle of a domestic violence incident, the lethality just soars,” he said.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
