Americans Panic Buying Guns Is The Most American Response To Coronavirus

Americans have been seen queuing down the street to buy guns saying they are worried that coronavirus panic could descend into social disorder.

Gun sales across the US are currently surging as the Covid-19 pandemic grows, with the hardest hit states of California, New York and Washington seeing some of the biggest hikes in the numbers of guns being sold.

Sellers are reporting a wave of first-time buyers coming in saying they fear that panic buying will see people running out of food and supplies. Others have said they are worried that the government might use its emergency powers to restrict gun purchases.

Pictures and videos show people lining up outside stores, while several people have tweeted pictures inside gun shops heaving with people trying to buy ammunition.

Amelia Adams, the US correspondent for Australian network Nine News, tweeted a video of people lining up outside a gun shop in Los Angeles.

She said those in the queue were telling her they were ‘scared of what will happen if people run out of food and supplies, and they need to protect their families’.

In response to her tweet, one person wrote: ‘I have never been more thankful for my countries strict gun laws (sic).’

In California, customers formed a long line outside the Martin B. Retting gun shop in Culver City on both Saturday and Sunday.

John Gore, 39, who joined the long queue on Saturday, told the LA Times: ‘Politicians and anti-gun people have been telling us for the longest time that we don’t need guns. But right now, a lot of people are truly scared, and they can make that decision themselves.’

According to CBSN, gun sales are ‘skyrocketing’ in the San Gabriel Valley, where Asian-Americans fear they may be targeted in racial attacks due to the spread of coronavirus.

David Liu, the owner of Arcadia Firearm and Safety in the San Gabriel Valley, said he was worried and recently purchased a gun for his wife.

One of his customers, Daniel Lim, told the station he wants his family to be able to protect themselves fearing that a potential financial crisis caused by Covid-19 could lead to disorder among US citizens.

Websites selling ammunition in the US have also seen a recent increase in sales. Ammo.com told the LA Times that from February 23 to March 4 transactions increased 68% compared with the 11 days before Febuary 23, when Italy reported a major outbreak of coronavirus.

Gun control groups across the country have raised concerns about children staying home for the next several weeks as they may be living in houses with unsecured guns.

The number of coronavirus cases in the US climbed to over 3,100 across 49 states on Sunday.

State and local officials across the nation have begun enacting stricter measures to try to slow the spread with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending no mass gatherings with 50 people or more — including weddings, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events or conferences – for the next eight weeks.

[ By Metro UK ]