In 2020, the Quad cities — an area that spans the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa and Rock Island and Moline in northwestern Illinois — experienced an increase in concealed carry applications, according to Tom Knighton of Bearing Arms.
A report by Quad-City Times highlighted this surge in applications:
Gun sales have increased around the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increase seems to be driven mostly by first-time gun buyers.
In the Quad-Cities, the trend is no different. Scott County received 5,379 permit-to-carry applications in 2020, more than double the 2,014 applications received in 2019. As of the end of August, 3,143 applications were submitted in 2021.
An act passed in April 2021 changed the gun control laws in Iowa, and a permit to carry is no longer required to buy and carry a gun in the state. Anyone buying a gun from a federally licensed dealer must pass a federal background check if they choose not to get a permit to carry.
Rock Island County saw a similar increase to Scott County. In Illinois, all gun owners must have a Firearm Owner Identification, or FOID, card, which is applied for through the Illinois State Police. The ISP received 5,663 applications from people living in Rock Island County in 2020, up from 3,973 applications in 2019. There were 2,874 applications submitted up through August 2021.
Why the increase? Two experts point to a variety of causes.
“First came COVID and the toilet paper wars. Then came the protests and the defund the police groups,” Jeannelle Westrom, owner of Davenport Guns and Shooting Club said. “A lot of things were happening.”
Illinois is a pretty anti-gun state. It’s currently ranked in 41st place according to Guns & Ammo magazine’s Best States for Gun Owners rankings. Iowa on the other hand, is slightly more pro-gun as seen with its 34th place ranking in this pro-gun index. It should be noted that in states like Illinois where the politics tends to be dominated by urban centers like Chicago. But when you venture outside into less populated areas, the political culture is not as monolithically leftist, thereby being more receptive to the Second Amendment.
This has to infuriate the Left, who wants to turn America into a homogenous blob of anti-freedom policies. America’s pro-liberty instincts have not gone away, further showing that gun culture remains one of the strongest forces in American politics. The areas outside of major urban centers in America are de facto bastions of resistance against this leftist monoculture
It’s going to take more than just tired talking points like “guns are bad” or “guns kill people” to make people give away their guns. Americans will continue to stay strapped and find ways to defend themselves in these times of great instability.
To stay up to date on all the threats coming from the gun grabbers in Washington and beyond, sign up for email alerts from Pro-Gun News by clicking this link.
Support Pro-Gun News by picking up a bag of coffee from Ranger Candy Coffee Company. Their high-quality beans are roasted and packaged right here in America, and is veteran owned and operated. >> All purchases made at this link support Pro-Gun News <<
