Strapped

“It’s a diverse group: Over half are women and the majority are Black, but there are white and Hispanic students, too. Some are as young as 18, and a handful are older, but most of them are 20- and 30-somethings. Several are new to firearms or are planning to get their first gun soon. Everyone is there for a common reason: to complete Illinois’s required training to get a concealed carry license, which will allow them to bring their guns in public. Brown teaches these classes most weekends. For the past few years, he says, they’ve been packed.” Similar scenes are increasingly playing out across the country as America somehow is buying even more guns. Vox: What happens when everyone decides they need a gun? “Previously, American gun sales were driven by a small number of people: overwhelmingly white men adding to their existing gun collections. The people who bought their first guns during the pandemic were different.”