When folks feel that the government - might not be able to protect them - and then authorities simultaneously release criminals onto the streets...the people predictably vote with their pocketbook.
NICS Firearm Background Checks:
Month/Year
November 30, 1998 - March 31, 2020
March 2020
3,740,688 background checks
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/...month_year.pdf
ETA: another economic impact of the China Virus - the industry was stagnant and then the world changed.