Rioting's Unintended Consequences

While violent leftwing rioters believe they can turn people who disagree with them politically toward their way of thinking, in many cases they turn their opponents even further against their cause. But one thing rioters do seem to be accomplishing at this time is bolstering the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms like never before.

Take the beleaguered cities of Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, along with the state of Kentucky as prime examples.

In Portland, rioting for nearly three months straight has resulted in a huge rise in the number of citizens seeking a concealed carry permit to protect themselves on the mean streets and at home.

As reported by KOIN-TV: “Washington County reopened CHL processing in early June and has experienced a higher volume of new applicants than one supervisor has seen in 15 years with the department. The CHL unit has been booking appointments out four months when, previously, applicants only had to wait about two weeks for an appointment.”

The report continued: “Multnomah County saw a stunning 692 new applications in June, when the average during the previous five months was about 316 applications per month. They started processing new CHLs in July and are dealing with a serious backlog. Applicants there shouldn’t expect to be licensed until this winter.

The recent protests and subsequent violent riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, have created a similar phenomenon. Instead of carry permit applications, however, it is gun sales that are going through the roof there.

A recent report by TMZ detailed a significant surge in gun sales in Kenosha and the surrounding area since the police shooting of Jacob and the subsequent mass violence. “Gun and ammo stores in the area are seeing a huge surge in folks trying to buy firearms, with many customers coming from neighborhoods smack in the middle of the unrest,” the TMZ report stated. “Joseph LaJoy, owner of LaJoy Precision Inc. in nearby Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, tells TMZ he completely sold out of every handgun, shotgun and all ammunition after fielding at least 150 phone calls per day in the wake Blake’s shooting.”

So what about Kentucky, you might ask. The story there also involves greatly increased gun sales since the no-knock raid killing of Brionna Taylor and subsequent months of violence and unrest. In fact, despite a population of only 4.5 million, through July Kentucky saw the second most guns sold of all the states in the nation. The state even beat California with 39.5 million population, Texas with 29 million and Florida with nearly 21.5 million residents.

While the violence tearing apart many of our larger cities is catastrophic to be sure, there does seem to be at least a small silver lining—more and more Americans are realizing that they are their own protectors, and that the Second Amendment is what gives them that opportunity.

---

Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.