Gun ownership for Black Americans jumped nearly 58.2 percent in 2020, according to a report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.  

A record number of Americans bought guns last year, with 5 million alone buying their first-ever firearm between March 2020 and August 2020, according to The Guardian. 

Pandemic-related stress and seeing armed white protesters take a stand against wearing masks and storming the U.S. Capitol were some of the reasons as to why Black Americans have decided to become gun owners, some told The Guardian.  

RELATED: House passes bills on expanding background checks for gun purchasers. 

Rogers Anderson, the Black Gun Owners Association’s Oakland/Bay Area chapter commander, told the publication that he saw an increase in students by June 2020, where “riots” were taking place in cities across the country.  

“Now 99.9% of my students are either single Black women or Black women with children who fear for their safety,” he said.  

Membership for organizations, such as the National African American Gun Association and the Black Gun Owners Association, has increased since the death of Philando Castile, a legal gun owner, in 2016 at a police officer’s hands, according to Black Enterprise.