Firearm and ammunition sales across the country have risen since the pandemic began, according to The Firearm Industry Trade Association, and it’s no different in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
Norman Emond Jr., owner of The Gun Rack on Avenue A in Turners Falls, said he had an inventory of 1,600 guns before COVID-19 struck the area in March, and that has decreased by half since. Emond credits that to panic when the pandemic hit, an election year, riots that happened around the country after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., plus supply-and-demand issues.
“I’m also selling an unprecedented number of guns, so I can’t keep up,” Emond said. “There are days I sell 50 or 60 guns. On a typical day, I sell 30 or 40. And I’m seeing a lot of first-time buyers. I get a shipment every day, but the numbers have gone down.”
Emond said about 20 percent of his sales are for recreation, while 80 percent is for protection.
“With everything that’s going on in the country right now, people are unsure, scared, and they want to be ready for whatever,” he said.
Ed Hallett, co-owner of BEAR ARMS on New Athol Road in Orange (the Aubuchon Plaza) said the same is happening there.
“I’ve never seen so many new customers,” he said. “They don’t talk about why they’re buying, but I think March and the pandemic kicked off a lot of worry about looting, a lot of fear about what’s going to happen in the future.”
Hallett said he sees higher sales every election with the fear that the next president will take guns away from people.
“They’re worried about their Second Amendment rights,” he said.
Hallett said with sales as they are, even though it’s currently more difficult for him to get guns and ammunition from suppliers, he has no fear of having to close shop. When COVID-19 ramped up in the area, gun shops shut down, but they returned to business this summer, as the state moved through its reopening phases.
Owner Charlie Ricko of Overwatch Outpost on Main Street in Charlemont said gun sales are 85 percent over what they were last year, before the pandemic hit.
“We’re at a historic all-time high in sales,” Ricko said. “It’s actually difficult to get guns and ammo right now. We’re not calling suppliers and saying, ‘Hey, send me this gun or ammo,’ we’re calling and saying, ‘Hey, do you have anything you can send me?’”
Ricko said manufacturers had to shut down when the pandemic hit, and many are still not at full capacity, even after reopening, so they can’t make guns and ammunition fast enough. He said many lead and copper mines also had to shut down, so the materials and manpower just aren’t there.
“Lots of shops are price-gouging, but we still sell at regular price,” he said. “I’ve heard many reasons why people are buying now, especially first-time buyers who have been cooped up, fearing the results of the election and seeing what’s going on around the country. People want to protect themselves.”
Ricko agrees that he sees and increase in sales every election year, but this year is unique.
“I’ve seen more people in recent months, and some of them were anti-gun,” he said. “They tell me they need to buy to defend their homes. When seconds count, people know police can be minutes away, and they want to be able to protect themselves.”
Ricko teaches classes to people who want to acquire a firearms license, but said he’s not hosting classes in his shop right now for safety’s sake (from the pandemic).
“I go to people’s homes,” he said. “And right now, I could make teaching a full-time job.”
Emond said the same — classes are currently being taught virtually, and he said he’s never seen so many first-timers. He also said he’s seeing people travel from Boston and the Cape to come to his shop.
“They can’t find guns or ammo out there, so they’re willing to travel,” Emond said. “We’re so busy. I’m afraid some gun shops will go out of business, because they can’t get their hands on the guns and ammunition, but we’re in good shape. I’m actually supplying a couple of other shops, as well.”
Emond said while gun sales have soared, there has not been an uptick in violence.
“They’re not directly related,” he said.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.