Gun shops in parts of Delaware have been swamped for days in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus.
The Delaware State News reported Monday that gun sellers say that growing uncertainty as much of American life shuts down is behind many of the purchases.
Brian Brown of Smyrna Sporting Goods said that all that customers want "is ammo and guns, ammo and guns, ammo and guns." He said he's never seen a sales surge like this.
Brown said that there's very little left in the store that's for sale. People are coming in and buying shotguns when they have no need for a shotgun.
He added: "Right now, they just want something that goes 'Boom.'"
Rick Wetherbee of Bridgeville said he wasn't afraid of the current conditions, he believed many others are.
"A lot of this is because of everything people are hearing, the great uncertainty of it all," he said. "There's a fear of anything, there's a fear of everything."