Americans who have purchased firearms since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic are far more willing to engage in political violence against their fellow citizens, according to a new study.

The Guardian recently reported on a study by the University of California-Davis’ violence prevention research program dubbed “Firearm Ownership and Support for Political Violence in the United States.” Researchers surveyed roughly 13,000 gun owners who bought their weapons over the last four years, and asked if violence was justified in order to accomplish political objectives. 39% of gun owners — a plurality — said yes, while 30% said no.

UC-Davis researchers warned that American gun owners in the survey could potentially be “arming up for anticipated civil conflict.”

“Our findings strongly suggest that large numbers of armed individuals who are at least potentially willing to engage in political violence are in public places across the US […]