To put it mildly, 2020 was interesting. The confluence of an election year, a pandemic, and extensive civil unrest and divisiveness have combined to impact almost every aspect of our economy and social interactions. One result has been a substantial increase in the demand for firearms, ammunition, and firearms training. According to Statista, firearms sales for June 2020 were up 145.3% over the same period in 2019, and handgun sales alone were up 177.5%. According to an article posted by CNN in August 2020, the number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks performed by the FBI for the sale, transfer, or permitting of firearms set an all-time record in June 2020 with more than 3.9 million NICS checks, followed closely by March and July with 3.7 and 3.6 million checks, respectively. This is a significant increase over July 2019, when the FBI conducted just over 2 million checks. In Ohio, applications for permits to carry concealed handguns are also up substantially, causing long delays in some counties. According to various news reports, the pace has continued throughout fall 2020.

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