Gun purchases up
across U.S. in '20
Gun purchases in the U.S. grew during the coronavirus pandemic, a report released last week found.
Researchers from The COVID States Project found that gun purchase background checks spiked across 50 states in March and June 2020. The numbers were higher than a 2014-19 average and remained elevated through December.
Experts often point to access to guns as a public health threat linked to homicides, suicides and accidental deaths.
Gun purchases were likely among attendees of rallies for President Donald Trump and demonstrations against pandemic lockdowns, as well as for participants in protests against police violence and racism, according to the study.
Roughly three-quarters of gun buyers in 2020 already owned firearms, a survey by the research group showed. People with incomes of more than $200,000 per year were more than twice as likely as people earning under $15,000 per year to buy guns.
People who identified as Republicans more frequently said they'd purchased guns. "Protection from crime" was the main reason people reported buying firearms.
The report didn't include state-specific findings on last year's gun purchases. The COVID States Project is a consortium of researchers from several universities with work funded by the National Science Foundation.
Arkansas typically has one of the nation's highest rates of household gun ownership.
Health, wellness
session scheduled
Baptist Health Community Outreach is offering several free health and wellness classes in February.
The hourlong virtual courses are on Google Meet and can be viewed on a computer or mobile device.
Topics include heart health, hypertension, diabetes, nutrition and yoga.
A full schedule is online at: baptist-health.com/community-outreach.
Virtual diabetes-prevention programs, for people who have pre-diabetes or genetic risk factors, also are available. People who want to register for those sessions can call (501) 202-1540.