These are the number of guns sold by state in the first five months of 2021:
Alabama, 442,955
Alaska, 42,078
Arizona, 284,260
Arkansas, 134,293
California, 643,982
Colorado, 296,290
Connecticut, 137,901
Delaware, 32,755
District of Columbia, 4,849
Florida, 804,083
Georgia, 401,468
Guam, 1,751
Hawaii, 7,307
Idaho, 129,270
Illinois, 5,285,820
Indiana, 1,017,037
Iowa, 138,091
Kansas, 106,760
Kentucky, 1,328,162
Louisiana, 180,389
Maine, 57,104
Mariana Islands, 111
Maryland, 132,269
Massachusetts, 124,141
Michigan, 477,863
Minnesota, 436,959
Mississippi, 146,357
Missouri, 303,869
Montana, 74,892
Nebraska, 44,133
Nevada, 90,835
New Hampshire, 74,653
New Jersey, 118,032
New Mexico, 92,142
New York, 211,575
North Carolina, 381,625
North Dakota, 37,071
Ohio, 411,447
Oklahoma, 193,624
Oregon, 211,203
Pennsylvania, 663,784
Puerto Rico, 28,087
Rhode Island, 20,426
South Carolina, 229,324
South Dakota, 51,000
Tennessee, 391,629
Texas, 915,296
Utah, 535,733
Vermont, 24,377
Virgin Islands, 808
Virginia, 304,771
Washington, 334,352
West Virginia, 106,510
Wisconsin, 335,608
Wyoming, 39,238
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Illinois resident here, northwest of the city by about 20 miles. Personally, I know of three neighbors who armed up recently…two of which said they never thought they’d buy a gun. My dad bought an AR-15 but already had a few weapons of his own. A lot more people I know openly talk about firearms now, too, when it wouldn’t have ever come up in conversation.
Anecdotal bias, I know, but things are definitely strange in IL. Everyone I know in the burbs avoids the city as much as possible, and some friends in the city express the desire to move. Even my more liberal and asleep acquaintances will express dismay or stress about city life, but can never outright explain what makes them feel that way. Cognative dissonance, I guess.
Yep, people are moving into the suburbs as fast as possible which is why all this new construction is going on despite the state population shrinking for a twelfth year in a row. Also I've bought more guns in the past year than the previous 15 and the missus finally got on of her own as well.
I'm down in Central Illinois - bought my first guns ever!! While getting my new 22 - got the last boxes of ammo on the shelf - and that was March of 2020!!