Pandemic gun violence surge was not linked to rise in gun sales, study finds

Research suggests looking at role of job loss, economic change, closure of schools and community organizations and civil unrest

Gun homicides surged across the United States during the coronavirus pandemic, in the same year that Americans bought a record-breaking number of guns.

But some of America's leading gun violence researchers have concluded that what might seem like an obvious cause-and-effect - a surge in gun buying leads to a surge in gun violence - is not supported by the data.