Gun sales spike in Snohomish County amid pandemic

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — Shoppers are not just stocking up toilet paper and bars of soap, but boxes of ammunition, too.

Across Snohomish County, many gun shop customers were surprised to find depleted supplies at gun stores.

“It’s shooting blanks,” said customer Jason Cole. “There’s nothing out there right now.”

Derrick Simeone arrived at a Lynnwood gun store at 10:30 a.m.

By 2 p.m. he was still waiting to get in.

“I’ve been sitting here for about three hours, hoping to get what I can get--- but they’re out of ammo for it, so it doesn’t particularly matter for it anyway,” he told KIRO 7 News.

It’s a whopping wait that’s leading to major money for gun sellers.

In Everett, the owner of one shop said his sales have skyrocketed 1,000% since the start of this month.

“I think what you’re seeing is Americans doing what they do, which is that they’re self-efficient, take responsibility for themselves, and responsibility for their protection” gun shop owner Scott Blowmenkamp said.

Gun owners insist protection is needed as the scope of the coronavirus pandemic keeps getting worse.

“You’re going have people panicking and they care about toilet paper or food or you’re going to have people who are opportunists and will take opportunities too far,” Blowmenkamp said.

“It’s the world we live in right now, so nobody knows the reaction of what’s going to happen later on,” said Cole.

And it’s not just here in the Puget Sound, either.

The gun website Ammo.com has reported a 200% increase in web traffic since the middle of last month.

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