London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

As coronavirus panic grows, Americans stock up– on guns

As coronavirus panic grows, Americans stock up– on guns

Pandemic sparks concerns of unravelling social order, leading to surge in sales of firearms and ammo. Buyers include large number of Asian-Americans, some fearful of racist backlash to outbreak

David Stone snagged a cardboard box of .223-calibre ammunition from the shelf and slid it across the glass worktop, offering his go-to sales pitch: “Welcome to the biggest selection of ammunition in all of Oklahoma.”

“I’m not sure I can keep on saying that,” Stone said, explaining that the supply of goods at Dong’s Guns, Ammo and Reloading has been seriously depleted over the last few days.

“When I say sales have been booming,” he said, “it’s an understatement.”

Gun sales are surging in many US states, especially in those hit hardest by the coronavirus – California, New York and Washington.



But there has also been an uptick in less-affected areas, with some first-time gun buyers fearing an unravelling of the social order and some gun owners worried that the government might use its emergency powers to restrict gun purchases.

Stone’s packed store shares a small strip of road with a church, a cemetery and another gun shop, and in recent days he has sold several firearms to truckers travelling along Interstate 44 here in Oklahoma.

One trucker, who was headed to Arizona, bought US$2,500 worth of firearms and ammunition, and another trucker, who was headed to Illinois, dropped US$200 on ammunition alone.

“You got to be protected for all sorts of stuff,” Stone said. “Seems like the world has gone mad.”

In California, would-be customers formed a long line outside the Martin B. Retting gun shop in Culver City over the weekend.

“Politicians and anti-gun people have been telling us for the longest time that we don’t need guns,” said John Gore, 39, part of the crush of customers in recent days. “But right now, a lot of people are truly scared, and they can make that decision themselves.”

Ammo.com, an online retailer of ammunition, has also seen a recent increase in sales. According to the company, from February 23 to March 4, transactions increased 68 per cent compared with the 11 days before February 23, a day when Italy reported a major outbreak of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.



Some gun control groups have raised concerns about children out of school for the next several weeks, which could result in more children and teens being killed in homes with unsecured guns.

“The unintended consequence of these panic-induced purchases in response to the Covid-19 pandemic could be a tragic increase of preventable gun deaths for the loved ones these individuals are trying to protect,” Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement Monday.

The National Rifle Association and other Second Amendment advocates have been applauding the uptick in firearms sales. “You don’t need it, till you need it,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted recently.

According to various reports, the surge in gun sales started several weeks ago in states such as Washington and California, and included large numbers of Asian-Americans, some fearful of anti-Asian backlash over the coronavirus.

At Laguna Guns & Accessories in Elk Grove, California, south of Sacramento, the shop’s owner said he has seen a recent run on his inventory, with many Asian customers stopping into the store, but others too.

Over the last week in Elk Grove, an elderly woman died of Covid-19 in a senior care facility, and the area’s school district – one of the largest in California – was one of the state’s earliest to close.

“It’s panic,” said George, the shop owner, who would consent to the use of only his first name.

For weeks, customers have been crowding into Arcadia Firearm and Safety, a gun store in the heart of Southern California’s Chinese-American community. The store’s owner, David Liu, said it was the busiest he had ever seen, and not just because of his Asian-American clientele.



“It’s everybody,” said Liu, adding that his major suppliers are out of stock, making it impossible to reorder. “It’s not only California, it’s the whole nation that’s cleaned out … It’s like toilet paper.”

Three minutes before the store’s closing Sunday, first-time gun purchaser Anna Carreras was one of the remaining customers, waiting to see what inventory was left.

“It’s not like an active panic, more a preoccupation with making sure everyone is adequately prepared, myself and family and friends,” she said. “Better to be prepared and not need it than need it and not have it.”

In Tulsa on a recent afternoon, the click of magazines jamming inside handguns reverberated off the cinder-block walls of Dong’s Guns. Dozens of people – many of whom seemed utterly unfazed by warnings to stay home and practice social distancing – filtered in and out of the shop.

When approached by a reporter, one man refused to answer questions if he could not first get a handshake. Nearby, another man walked the aisles in search of a scope for his bolt-action rifle.

Brandon Jay, 37, said his interest in the gun shop had nothing to do with the coronavirus. He was here to protect himself from a neighbour who has made threats.

“It’s the flu 2.0,” he said, shaking his head. “People all scared of this – it’s the flu. It’s some made-up stuff from the coasts.”

With 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and no deaths, Oklahoma – unlike California or Washington – has not experienced the hour-by-hour updates of the pandemic’s spread. Though Jay is sceptical of the risks, he said he was encouraged to see more people buying guns.

“If this hysteria is helping the cause, then that’s great,” he said. “Strap up.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×