US gun sales explode as coronavirus outbreak worsens

Gun sales have exploded in the United States in the last two weeks as the coronavirus outbreak worsens, with people stocking up on weapons and ammunition out of fear the pandemic might lead to social unrest.

“We have had about an 800 percent increase in sales,” said David Stone, owner of Dong’s Guns, Ammo and Reloading in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I’m still not out of any caliber but I’m getting close to running out.”

Stone told AFP that the overall majority of customers rushing to stock up on firearms and ammunition are first-time buyers grabbing anything available.

“It’s fear over coronavirus,” he said. “I don’t understand it myself and I think it’s unreasonable.”

Several other store owners across the United States said they have also seen a surge in sales as people fear social order will unravel if the health and economic crisis caused by the virus escalates.

Tiffany Teasdale, owner of Lynnwood Gun, located in the state of Washington, one of the states hardest hit by the virus, said she has seen a massive uptick in sales with customers lining up an hour before the store opens.

“We used to have on what we would call busy days, 20 to 25 firearms being sold,” said Teasdale, who has hired a bouncer to keep everyone in check. “Today, we are seeing upwards of 150.”

She said shotguns were in shortage across the country, along with ammunition for them as well as ammunition for handguns.

“A lot of people are buying shotguns, handguns, AR-15 (semi-automatic rifles), everything,” said Teasdale, whose store is open seven days a week.

Like Stone, she said most of her customers are first-time buyers who undergo background checks and, if need be, are given a quick course on how to handle their purchase.

“We have men, women, young, middle-aged, older, everybody buying guns,” she said. “And all ethnic backgrounds — black, Asian, Indian, Hispanic.”

She said one customer who came into the store recently decided it was time to arm himself after he witnessed two women fighting over the last case of bottled water at a store.

“We have customers who are also scared because law enforcement is being told to not respond as much because they are so short-staffed,” she added. “So a lot of people are scared that someone is going to break into their home… to steal cash, their toilet paper, their bottled water, their food.”

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Demand for firearms has been growing throughout the coronavirus outbreak, with widespread reports of firearms and survival gear flying off the shelves, including in California, New York, Washington state, Alabama and Ohio.

But advocates for stricter gun safety measures argue that a run on gun stores could itself pose a public health concern if new buyers aren’t trained properly, new guns aren’t stored safely and background checks aren’t completed.

“Guns will not make Americans safer in the face of COVID-19,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.

Underscoring the concerns, several recent gun-related incidents have been linked to fears surrounding the pandemic.

As some states have moved to close gun shops alongside other businesses, they have faced quick legal challenges.

Gun control advocates are concerned about a large number of new owners lacking the usual access to training on how to store and handle their weapon properly. They also worry that Americans who are stocking up now eventually will sell their firearms privately.

“If we can imagine how horrible this crisis is ... the people who hoarded the guns might decide six months from now — once they see no zombies around but they’ve run out of tuna and beef jerky — that they need the money to buy food,” Chipman said.

(Source: Agencies)

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