The Associated Press reports that across the country, sales of guns and ammunition have increased in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
That's true at American Sportsmen in East Rochester. Owner Fred Calcagno says sales have risen around 80 percent in the past couple of weeks. The biggest seller are shot guns, what he says is the gun a typically purchased as a home protection device.
“It's not the way I like to see people buying guns. I'd rather they make careful thought out decisions, but that's not the order of the day," he said. “It's the current thinking that if there is a complete breakdown in society, then people will be coming to your house to take what you have. Then they want to save their own possessions and whatever they have."
Calcagno says sales have been so brisk they are running out of guns and ammo, and have had to turn customers away.