Associated Press: “The coronavirus pandemic, protests against racism and police killings, a rancorous election and some people’s perception that cities are being overrun by violent mobs have brought about a markedly more aggressive stance by some gun owners and widened the divide over firearms in the U.S.”

“Americans are turning out more often and more visibly with guns, a sign of the tension engulfing the country.”

HuffPost: U.S. faces a “perfect storm” of political violence heading into the November election.

“Demand for guns and ammunition is accelerating in the US ahead of November’s election, driven by consumer concerns about protests and civil unrest and by Americans seeing hunting as a socially distanced leisure pursuit during a pandemic,” the Financial Times reports.

The Attorney General of New York took action today to dissolve the National Rifle Association, following an 18-month investigation that found evidence the powerful gun rights group is “fraught with fraud and abuse,” NPR reports.

“Attorney General Letitia James claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday that she found financial misconduct in the millions of dollars, and that it contributed to a loss of more than $64 million over a three year period. The suit alleges that top NRA executives misused charitable funds for personal gain, awarded contracts to friends and family members, and provided contracts to former employees to ensure loyalty.”

Politico: “Internal FBI data reveal a jarring new stat: The number of people trying to buy guns who can’t legally own them has skyrocketed. That came as part of a surge in gun purchases in the first three months of 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019. And the change has raised concerns about gun safety.”

“In March 2019 and February 2020, the NICS system blocked about 9,500 and 9,700, respectively. But in March 2020, it blocked more than double that amount: a whopping 23,692 gun sales.”

“A record 3.9m firearm background checks were conducted in June, according to new FBI figures that underscore the sharp rise in US gun sales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd,” the Financial Times reports.

“The FBI conducted nearly 3 million background checks associated with the sale, transfer or permitting of firearms in April, making it the fourth highest month for background checks since the bureau began keeping statistics in 1998,” CNN reports.

“Figures from April were down from the record-shattering spike of 3.7 million FBI background checks in March 2020, but still higher than checks done in the first two months of the year.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that the government would immediately ban the use and trade of roughly 1,500 different kinds of assault-style weapons, including the AR-15 variant that has been used in many U.S. mass shootings, the Globe and Mail reports

The move comes in response to a murder rampage in Nova Scotia that left 22 people dead.

“The Supreme Court sidestepped a major decision on gun rights Monday in a dispute over New York City’s former ban on transporting guns,” the AP reports.

“The anti-climactic end to the Supreme Court case is a disappointment to gun rights advocates and relief to gun control groups who thought a conservative Supreme Court majority fortified by two appointees of President Trump, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, might use the case to expand on landmark decisions from a decade ago that established a right to keep a gun at home for self-defense.”

CNBC: “The case was the first Second Amendment case to reach the top court in nearly a decade.”

The National Rifle Association’s legal troubles have cost the powerful gun rights group $100 million, according to a recording of the group’s board meeting obtained by NPR.

“The National Rifle Association has laid off more than 60 employees in recent weeks,” Politico reports.

“The move comes as the gun rights group faces acute financial challenges during the economic crunch caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The association recently took a large financial hit when the pandemic forced the NRA to cancel its massive annual meeting.”

Around two million guns were bought in the U.S. last month, the New York Times reports.

“The surge in gun sales as coronavirus spreads across the country is second highest on record, after January 2013, the month when President Obama began his second term in office and the Sandy Hook School shooting raised calls for increased gun legislation.”

“The FBI processed a record 3.7 million gun background checks in March — more than any month previously reported, according to the agency’s latest data,” Axios reports.

“The spike’s timing suggests it may be driven at least in part by the coronavirus.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) declared in a statement that gun stores should be classified as essential businesses, allowing them to remain open amid shutdowns imposed on local businesses to stem the spread of coronavirus.