‘Locked-in’ and loaded; gun sales spike tremendously
As cases of coronavirus increase, so have gun sales.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - At a time when panic buying is at an all-time high, toilet paper isn't the only thing flying off the shelves.
Many people are trying to get their hands on a gun.
According to CNN, the ammunition website Ammo.com said it has recorded an unprecedented surge in bullet sales over the last three weeks.
Administrators for the site, released sales figures late Monday night showing a 77% increase in website visits between February 23 and March 15.
Those visits led to a 222% increase in transactions over the same period when compared to the first three weeks in February.
At Yuma Coin & Gun Shop, they say they’ve seen a 500-1000% increase in gun and ammunition sales.
Owner, Michael Brick, says his gun shop is sold out of 9mm, 40 and 45 cal, and all of the common pistols.
People are getting locked and loaded as the coronavirus forces most of the nation into quarantine.
"The biggest thing [people are] fearful of is nobody knows what's going on. Nobody’s sure of what's happening with the coronavirus.”
Even the FBI can’t handle the high volume of incoming background checks.
Brick says the average transaction takes about 3-4 minutes including a call to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
However, right now transactions are taking 3-4 hours.
Brick has received calls from people in L.A., San Diego, Phoenix, and Albuquerque, all looking for ammunition.
Distributors across the country are sold out.
“On a normal week we might sell somewhere between $200 and $1,000 worth of ammo, on Saturday, which we were only open a half-day, we sold $7,000,” Brick said.
The former officer has run the gun shop on Orange Avenue in Yuma for 42 years.
He says he’s seen it all before; mass shootings, gun bans, and now the coronavirus has customers shooting right in his direction.
“Guns were used to hunt and survive and it wasn’t to survive from your neighbors. Maybe we’re going to have to go out and hunt and forage for food. But these days we also have a tightly woven inner city area. A lot of people don’t know their neighbors and are not going to take a chance."
If you're a first-time gun owner, it's suggested asking lots of questions and taking a training and educational course on gun safety when purchasing your first firearm.
