At a time of perpetual protests and cultural upheaval, and ahead of an election that could actually decide the fate of American republicanism and our experiment in self-government, Americans who sense danger are arming up like never before.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the FBI logged more firearms background checks in June than at any time in the history of the National Instant Check System (NICS). And while background checks are not a perfect measure of gun purchase activity, the figures provide a fairly reliable benchmark.

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The paper notes:

Americans are buying guns in record numbers.

The new coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing movement to defund police are bringing in new buyers worried about their personal safety, according to buyers, store owners and gun experts.

Gun sales began rising to unusual highs in March, as coronavirus cases began surging in the U.S. and government-ordered lockdowns led to the highest unemployment levels since the Great Depression. The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed 7.8 million background checks for gun purchases from March to June, according to National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade group.

As big as the buying spree has been throughout Spring, June’s numbers jumped even more: 136 percent compared to June 2019. That’s a lot.

In addition, FBI background checks for Americans who are trying to get concealed carry licenses were also the highest they’ve ever been since the bureau began checking backgrounds 20 years ago. 

Where are gun sales the highest? According to NICS numbers, checks for firearms purchases tripled in Georgia in June. Meanwhile, they more than doubled in Oklahima, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. 

One man, Craig Geske, 57, told the WSJ he’s applying for a concealed carry permit because he doesn’t believe the police will be around if or when he needs them (thanks to all of the demonization of officers and the fact that those who remain on the job will be busy with ongoing riots and protests and destruction).

"I don’t want to ever shoot anybody ever,” he said. “But if I had to duck and shoot back in self-defense, at least I’d have a chance.”

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And here’s something else: It’s not just current gun owners adding to their current gun collections. According to data reported by the WSJ, 40 percent of people getting background checks are first-time buyers. 

What’s more, by far handguns are outselling rifles two-to-one, according to the paper, citing federal NICS data. 

"With the pandemic, it’s driven more by fear for personal safety; it’s people who haven’t been interested in the past,”  Jacquelyn Clark, co-owner of Bristlecone Shooting, Training and Retail Center in Lakewood, Colo., told the WSJ.

Naturally, Democrat Marxists are critical of the increase in sales, especially those who run deep-blue cities where homicides are doubling and tripling from previous levels last year. 

But even gun control advocates are wising up. 

"If I had a hard time getting police to respond to me when we weren’t in a pandemic, what about now?” John Kingdon, a gun control advocate who lives in Denver, said after buying a handgun.