Abstract
California is home to over 30 million residents, making it the most populated state within the U.S. As such, California possesses a culturally and linguistically diverse population, leading the world in arts, finance, and education. Within such a large state lies 58 counties, all with their own economies and cultures. Some counties number in the millions of residents, housing large, sprawling metropolitan centers. Others are sparsely populated, home to only a few thousand residents each. All such counties are stretched over different terrains, climates, and borders, making life in California unique for all of its residents. This unique governmental organization separates California from the rest of the United States, where two counties at either end of the state can have very different politics, crime, and overall citizenry that makes each unique. As does every other governmental entity, California has grappled with violent crime, specifically those committed with firearms. With the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution guaranteeing the right for citizens to bear arms, gun shops operated by Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers are ubiquitous across California, allowing for those without a criminal record to purchase a gun. All data examined within this study were collected from public sources from both the state and federal government, namely the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the California State Association of Counties, Open Justice California, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the United States Census Bureau. Additionally, many societal and economic factors present across the state can exasperate criminality, including the percentage of males aged 15-29, the percent of the population that identifies as Hispanic and African American, population density, and concentrated disadvantage. Results from the variables studied indicate that there lies a clear distinction between 2019 and 2020, showing that the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of challenges for California residents not previously accounted for.