The rise in gun ownership for one group in America might surprise you

Gun ownership is on the rise in America. There have been multiple reports about the record-breaking sales in the lead-up to the presidential election as folks worried about the possibility of Hillary Clinton in the White House stockpiled for the worst-case scenario. But when Donald Trump won, sales eased off by nearly 20 percent. Then, Black Friday rolled around, and there was yet another spike which broke the single-day record for FBI background checks. What’s most surprising is the group that is helping boost these sales.

Of course, Republicans love their guns. At least 55% currently have a gun in their house for protection compared to only 32% among Democrats. Overall in America, only 35% of households have firearms. That’s way down from the 1970s when over half of households in America had guns. But things are changing and believe it or not, liberals are leading the charge.

In the same way, many Americans worried that a President Hillary Clinton would be bad for gun rights, Democrats are buying up guns in anticipation of civil unrest since the election of Trump.

The national spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club, Lara Smith, said her organization has been flooded with inquiries since November and enjoyed a 10% increase in paid members, according to a BBC report. They are in all 50 states and have membership across nine chapters.

“In the more conservative gun world, there is definitely a feeling that liberals hate guns,” Smith said. “If you go into gun forums and discuss your politics, you are very clearly not welcome. ‘Libtard’ is one of the nicer things they say. It can get pretty nasty very quickly.”

There are other organizations, too, whose membership has spiked. Pink Pistols is a gun club for LGBT Americans. Their slogans are, “Armed gays don’t get bashed” and “Pick on someone your own caliber.” The increase in gun ownership among gays and lesbians also peaked after the Orlando terrorist attack on the Pulse gay nightclub earlier this year. Pink Pistols’ Facebook group grew from 1,500 members to over 6,500 just after the assault.

This group takes a strong stance for the Constitution, as evidenced by transgender spokesperson Nicki Stallard’s plea to potential members:

This is a call to L.G.B.T. people to take their own defense seriously and to question the left-leaning institutions that tell them guns are bad, and should be left to the professionals. Become a professional. You’re allowed. That’s what the Second Amendment is for. We can fight back when our lives depend on it.

Gwendolyn Patton of Pink Pistols said the biggest fears most new members have when joining up is being “harassed by the gun nuts at the range.” But she assures them that for the most part, they will be “welcomed with open arms by the shooting community.”

“There are people who have professed to carrying a gun now because Trump made them feel unsafe,” Patton said. “I think their fears are groundless, but I can’t make them not be afraid, so whatever they need to do to feel safer, I don’t have a problem with that as long as they do it responsibly.”

And that’s the most important takeaway from the entire report. No matter what is making a person feel unsafe, we all have a responsibility to protect ourselves and our loved ones. That it’s an American right is just a bonus. That means we live in a country where we’re free (for now) to do so. But anyone interested in self-preservation and having a personal weapon nearby when seconds count, should put aside political differences, take gun ownership seriously and join the ranks of responsible, pro-gun Americans. It’s a heck of a group to belong to, and besides a few bad apples that spoil the bunch, most will be more than happy to stand in solidarity with gun enthusiasts from either side of the aisle. There can never be too many gun owners in America.