While people around the country stock up on food, hand sanitizer and toilet paper amid the COVID-19 crisis, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns are also stocking up on guns and ammunition in unprecedented numbers.
Gov. Doug Ducey recently included “firearm and ammunition suppliers and retailers for purposes of safety and security†on a list of essential services that cities and counties are prohibited from restricting or closing.
Even as businesses around the state struggle with shutdowns and decreased sales, local gun shops are seeing a major boost in business. A popular distributor, , reports that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ammunition sales have soared 945% since February 23. For 26-year-old ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ resident Zachary Robbins, buying a firearm is just an additional level of security.
“I want to be prepared for the mass panic, whether it happens now or when everything starts to wear out and people get desperate,†he said. “I want to know that I have the opportunity to act upon my Second Amendment rights to protect my family and my home.â€
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With a 7-month-old son at home, Robbins said he doesn’t want to take any chances.
“I’m not stocking up for any sort of war or revolt, but just to protect my family and what’s mine,†he said.
Michael Grossman, owner of a ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ gun shop called The Hub, said daily sales have increased tenfold.
“It’s been to the point where I have to have someone at the door, forming a line and only letting a certain amount of people in. And the line lasts all day. It never dies. All day long people are coming in buying stuff,†he said.
Most customers are new gun owners, usually buying shotguns or pistols, he said.
“I would say the majority of the people right now, from what I gather, are just scared because you’ve got a lot of posts from different police departments saying that officers will only respond to severe calls,†he said. “So people are scared that someone’s going to come to their house, break in, and when they call the cops, they’re not gonna come.â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-area law enforcement said earlier this month that they would issue citations to minor offenders instead of booking them into jail to reduce potential coronavirus exposure. Serious offenders who commit violent crimes are still being arrested and booked.
In Phoenix, gun shop owners are experiencing the same phenomenon. For Verachart Murphy, owner of Ammo AZ, sales have increased 300% over the past several weeks. He said his staff has been working 12- to 14-hour days and managing lines with wait times of up to four hours. About 30% of Ammo AZ’s recent customers are first-time gun owners, Murphy said.
“If you really think about it, customers stocking up on guns and ammo is really no different than people stocking up on water and toilet paper, right? Everybody, including myself, feels that a shelter in place order is coming real soon from the governor,†he said. “Knowing that a lot of people are going to be just stuck at home, I think everybody kind of becomes concerned about their safety.â€
Grossman and Murphy said gun shops everywhere are quickly running out of inventory due to the spike in customers.
“In my lifetime, this is the biggest scare I have seen with guns,†he said. “I mean, there’s not a distributor in the country right now with ammo.â€
Gunshop customers typically choose the gun they prefer, but the current shortage is now forcing people to pick based on what ammunition is available.
“What people are going after is what they can get ammo for,†he said. “Normally I can order anything I want, any time of day, as much as I want from multiple distributors. But If I go to my distributors now to try to order anything, there’s nothing to be had.â€
In particular, ammunition for AR-15s and 9 mm firearms is scarce. Grossman said his distributors are saying it could be six months before their supply is back to normal.
Grossman and Murphy said they can see the panic from their customers, who are unsure what the future holds and want to protect themselves, their families and their homes if necessary.
“Those people that are stocking up on ammo just don’t know how long this will last,†Murphy said. “If we get a shelter-in-place order, is this going to be for the rest of the year? And they just want to ensure that they have enough ammo to last them. If everything just blows over, they’re just going to go to the range and shoot it and have fun and practice.â€
Photos for March 27: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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The doors are still open at Sacred Art Tattoo on 1024 E. 6th St., as of Friday, March 27, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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Seth Nadeau, left, and his son Anthony Nadeau get out of the house for a couple of game so horse under cloudy skies on the courts at Christ Church United Methodist, March 27, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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Victoria Quintero, 5, holds her sign as her mother, Vanessa, waves to the teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School during a Car Parade through the neighborhood on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School cheer and wave to their students during a Car Parade through the neighborhood on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Standing, Kai Morales, left, and his twin brother, Kristian, hold up their signs as Karim, 9, and their mother, Angelica, sit in the bed of the truck along W. Nebraska Street during a Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Students of John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School stand along W. Nebraska Street and wave to their teachers during a Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, coronavirus

Teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School line up along W. Canada Street before the start of their Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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The noted bull testicles on the statue outside Casa Molina at Speedway and Wilmot, usually painted in various schemes and wild colors, now sporting a surgical mask.
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Pfc. Gustavo Escalera, of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard, waves in the next car to his station at the Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Community Food Bank on March 27, 2020. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill and handout food boxes for people in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and five counties in southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Thirty troops arrived in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on Thursday and another thirty are expected. According to Spc. John Randall, the troops are here to fill in the gaps in logistics to help keep up the production of putting together and handing out food boxes.
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Spc. Nicholas McCormick, of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard, waits for the next car to pull up at the Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Community Food Bank.
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Spc. Emilio Maldonado, of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard, pushes a several bags down an assembly line at the Community Food Bank of Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on March 26, 2020. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill food boxes for people in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and five counties in southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
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Spc. Gabriel Molina, of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard, fills bags with food items on an assembly line at the Community Food Bank of Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on March 26, 2020. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill food boxes for people in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and five counties in southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, coronavirus

Hoover Zhu, owner of Old Peking, poses for a portrait inside a closed Old Peking at Old Peking , 2522 E. Speedway Blvd., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Zhu closed Old Peking on Thursday March 25 due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, coronavirus

Chef Du Liyuan makes a take out order at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant, is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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Before Tuesday’s change in policy, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ residents traveling to New York had to quarantine for 14 days. New Jersey and Connecticut also removed their travel restrictions.
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An empty baggage carousel at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ International Airport, on March 26, 2020.
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Wendy Fu, owner of Chef Wang, processes a take out order at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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Chairs tilted in on tables at La Cocina located at 201 N. Court Avenue, on March 26, 2020.
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Sun sets over a dark and locked Hi Corbett Stadium, home to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats baseball team, as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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Downtown Congress Streets is mostly deserted just before 8 p.m. as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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The lanterns from the Reid Park Zoo's Asian Lantern Festival sit in a fenced compound after the zoo's closure ended the display weeks early as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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Residents stay spaced while out getting some air and watching the Rillito River flow near Craycroft as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz.
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Jayden Simmons, right, 12, runs football drills with coach Bobby Rodriguez, owner of Jet Sports Training, at Silverlake Park, in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Due to gyms being closed, Rodriguez is taking classes and training outside to parks with little to no equipment.
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A man wearing a mask watches traffic go by while waiting for the bus on N. Alvernon Rd., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020.
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Gloves, a mask and hand sanitizer sit on the counter at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
Contact reporter Jasmine Demers at jdemers@tucson.com
On Twitter: @JasmineADemers