Los Angeles residents are bulk-buying firearms amid fears of a food shortage as coronavirus continues to sweep across the United States.
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Videos being circulated online show dozens of people queuing up outside gun stores.
Crowded gun store in Culver City today… shopper there was told demand/traffic is being driven by #Coronavirus concerns pic.twitter.com/ZMavhczSSv
— Lauren Lyster (@LaurenLyster) March 14, 2020
“Buyers tell me they’re scared of what will happen if people run out of food and supplies, and they need to protect their families,” US correspondent for Australia’s Nine News Network Amelia Adams tweeted.
https://twitter.com/AmeliaAdams9/status/1239245995952631808?s=20
The US has reported 3,487 cases of the coronavirus with 68 deaths.
Since the outbreak, grocery stores in the US and across the world have reported a shortage of supplies, with toilet paper being the most popular item to stockpile.
The mayors of New York City and Los Angeles, the two largest cities in the US, on Monday said they were ordering restaurants, theatres, bars, and movie theatres closed in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly virus.
Any restaurant, bar, or cafe selling food will only be able to do so via delivery or take-out, officials said.
