80% doesn’t mean much if it’s gun enthusiasts adding to the collection. What is the percentage of new, first time gun buyers?
I dunno, but I'm part of it.
40% first time gun buyers is the number I heard recently.
That's probably impossible to say for sure.
My guess is those that own several ARs and have several thousand rounds of ammo are probably not buying at today's high prices. They may figure to wait until prices decline before adding to their stockpiles.
If true, the upsurge in gun sales is due to many first time buyers.
A lot of them, apparently
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/26/gun-sales-up-by-almost-72-first-time-buyers-lead-t/
I think i heard 5 million