The Black Lives Matter violence, the call for defunding the police, and many cities actually capitulating to those “demands,” have had a very unintended consequence. It seems these actions have motivated more and more Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights. According to new data from the FBI indicates that gun sales exploded during the month of June, hitting a brand new all-time high. Here’s more from The Daily Wire: “The new coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing movement to defund police are bringing in new buyers worried about their personal safety, according to buyers, store owners and gun experts,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “In June, background checks for firearms were up 136%, compared to a year earlier … background checks in June for civilians seeking a license to carry were the highest since the FBI began conducting checks 20 years ago.” FBI statistics that were released at the start of the month showed that 3,931,607 background checks were processed last month, which is by far the most ever recorded. The previous all-time record was set in March—when parts of the U.S. began going into shutdown over the coronavirus—when 3,740,688 were conducted. https://twitter.com/BrookingsEcon/status/1282821114553663493 The Journal reports that dealers estimate that some 40% of sales have been going to first-time buyers, “an increase over the normal average of about a quarter,” and say that many of the new buyers “are people who say they never thought they would own a firearm and were previously critical of those who did.” One gun buyer told the media that he was purchasing a gun and applying for a permit because he was scared that police wouldn’t be able to provide him with adequate protection. “I don’t want to ever shoot anybody ever. But if I had…

President Trump recently stated that if former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn were to return to the White House, he’d be all for it. Flynn has been through quite an ordeal over the last few years, as it was uncovered that a secret plot involving members of the Obama administration and the FBI was hatched to use him as a means of taking down Donald Trump. Trump conducted an interview with CBS News where he said, “I would. I think he’s a great gentleman. He’s been in the military for many, many decades actually — highly respected.” Here’s more from The Washington Examiner: Trump ousted his first national security adviser for lying to FBI investigators about a conversation with a Russian envoy in December 2016 during the Trump transition, to which Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017. After switching legal teams, Flynn claimed he was set up by the FBI. In May, the Justice Department said they would move to drop the case, with the motion now underway in the courts. Trump said on Monday that he has not ruled out a pardon for his former adviser and would await the result of efforts to dismiss his case. Trump has previously said that Flynn was “targeted in order to try and take down a president.” Some Trump allies are pushing for Flynn’s return to the fold. “He’s the perfect example of deep-state victimization,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Politico in discussing Flynn’s potential to stump for the president on the campaign trail, as he did in 2016. “Great surrogate — lots of people would come to see him.” The left no doubt will be furious over Trump’s comments, particularly since Flynn was supposed to be a key casualty in their war against the president. With their efforts…