RALEIGH – Hand sanitizer. Toilet paper. Bullets.
Welcome to the 2020 Pandemic, where demand has spiked for all sorts of the essentials. Even though you may never really need that 1,000-roll commercial pallet of two-ply comfort tissue, running out of ammunition during a public health crisis replete with draconian government measures is simply not an option for many people.
Sales of guns and ammunition have been surging around the country as governments issue ‘shelter-in-place’ orders and elected leaders stomp all over the Second Amendment. For retailers like Ammo.com, that has meant:
- 720% increase in revenue
- 434% increase in transactions
- 334% increase in site traffic
- 27% increase in conversion rate
- 45% increase in average order value
Yet the spikes in individual states dwarf those increases, and North Carolina is in the Top 10:
State Ranking by Sales Volume: Displays the total sales volume on a state-by-state basis in column 1. (Not all states are listed.) And how much percentage-wise sales have increased to that particular state since February 23rd in column 2.
Most Popular Caliber by Sales Volume: Displays the most popular caliber based on sales volume in that state in column 3. And how much sales of that particular caliber have increased percentage-wise in that particular state since February 23rd. Columns 5 and 7 display the 2nd and 3rd most popular calibers based on sales volume in that state; columns 6 and 8 display how much the sale of those particular calibers has increased on a percentage basis.
In the Old North State, that is a surge of, +544% for 9mm, +196% for 45 ammo, and +1,887 for 223 rifle ammunition.
People are understandably concerned about a a break down of law and order by ne’er-do-wells taking advantage of the coronavirus chaos, or authoritarian government officials doing the same. In Wake County, Sheriff Gerald Baker has illegally suspended all pistol purchase permit applications until April 30.
With many of these shelter-in-place orders extending for weeks, if not months, the angst created by the government’s increasingly authoritarian pandemic response is bound to fester for a while yet. So, too, then will the sales of guns and ammunition.
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